Second Chances
by Bloomyt
Summary: April has been single for too long. She has had to watch the man she thought was the love of her life, move on. Now she had to find a way to do the same. Story follows April as she meets a new man and embarks on life without Jackson... For those of us tired of April having no storyline and watching Jackson oogle over his step sister. Kepzona Friendship, some Japril.
1. Chapter 1

It had been a long day in the ER for April Kepner. It had been brutally slow. She had counted on it being a busy day. A busy day meant she would be needed past the end of her shift. A busy day on a day when she didn't have her daughter meant she didn't have to go home until she was exhausted. But here she was, an hour from the end of her shift, bored out of her mind.

She was thinking about texting Arizona to see if she wanted to grab a drink when they got word that a trauma was coming in. "Thank you God," April said under her breath as she got on a gown and ran toward the ambulance bay.

"Give me the rundown" April told the paramedics as they began to unload the patient.

"Ben Smith, age 4 years old, hit and run. He was unconscious when we got there, hasn't woken up. Stats are stable, breathing on his own, best we can tell he has a few broken ribs and a head lac".

"On my count, 1,2,3," April said as they moved the little boy to the hospital gurney.

"Page neuro. We need a head CT and a chest X-ray to find those broken ribs. He has some bad bruises on his face. We will need a Plastic consult so he doesn't go through life with scars on his face."

Just as April finished her initial assessment, the monitors started going crazy.

"He is crashing! Get me a crash cart".

April checked for a heart beat and started CPR. As she started pumping the boy, she noticed his belly was distended.

"He is bleeding in to his belly. I need to drain the blood from his stomach. Get me 4 bags of O negative stat. He is losing a ton of blood." April hopped on top of the gurney to continue chest compressions as they headed to the OR for surgery.

"Come on buddy - hang with me. We are going to fix you up but I need you to be strong and fight."

Once in the OR, April got to work fixing all the hit and run driver had broken inside the little four year olds body. In all they had been in surgery for three hours and April figured they had another two hours, assuming everything kept going smoothly."

The door to the ER slid open. "Dr. Kepner. The boy's father is here. He was hoping to get an update on Ben," said the admitting nurse.

"Tell him we are going to be another couple of hours, but so far things are going well. I will come and talk to him when we finish up.".

"I will tell him," and with the that the nurse left.

April continued the surgery and was thankful everything went smoothly. It will be a long recovery for the little boy - but he should be good as new in a month or two. Assuming there were no infections.

Once the surgery was over, April scrubbed out and headed to look for the boy's dad. It was well past 10pm now and April realized she had gotten her wish to be needed late. However she instantly felt guilty as now a four a year was laying in the recovery room. Well, at least she had been there to save his life, she thought.

April walked into the surgery waiting area and found a lone man sitting in a corner chair, silently crying and praying.

"Mr. Smith?" April said quietly as she approached him.

The man looked up, "Yes. Are you the doctor who operated on my son?"

"I am. I am Dr. Kepner. We just finished. He had several internal injuries that the paramedics had no way of seeing in the field. We took him up to surgery to stop the internal bleeding. I am confident we found all of the bleeds. He is pretty banged up, but his prognosis is good. He should make a full recovery," April finished as she sat down next to him.

"Thank you, So much. Thank you seems inadequate. Are you sure he is going to be ok?"

"Barring any infections or post op complications, I am guessing he will have to stay here for three or four days so we can monitor his recovery. He hasn't been awake since he came in, so I will order a neuro consult just to rule out an head injuries."

"When can I see him?"

"He is in recovery. They will have him in a room within the next hour or two. I will stay with him until he is moved."

"Thanks. I need to go get my daughter. I dropped her off at a friend's house on the way here. Would it be ok if I go and come back?"

"Absolutely. I will have the staff bring in an extra bed in his room so you can sleep with him tonight."

"That would be terrific."

"Ok - I am going to go and check on Ben. I will see you later on when we get him settled in his room," April said as she started to stand up.

"Thank you again Dr. Kepner."

"You are more than welcome."

April check on Ben, and was updating his file when she saw it. Ben's birthday. December 1, 2012. Her breath got stuck in her throat. She couldn't breath. Tears started welling up in her eyes. That was the day that changed her life forever. It was the day she gave birth to her son who died that very same day. Looking at Ben laying in his bed, all of it hit her like a ton of bricks. There wasn't a day that went by when she didn't think about her little boy. What he would look like, what he would be learning now…. And looking at this little boy in his bed - she knew. His features would be different than Ben's of course, but he would be four years old.

As she tried to wipe the continuous stream of tears falling down her face, the door to Ben's room opened and in walked his dad.

"Is everything ok?," he asked, slightly panicked at the sight of his son's surgeon crying over his bed.

"Oh no - everything is fine," April said, trying to recover as quickly as she could. "Ben is doing great. No issues. Of course we will continue to monitor him through the night. They haven't brought a bed in for you yet, but I am told they are working on it. I will check on it before I leave."

"You are leaving? Shouldn't you be staying to keep an eye on Ben," the dad asked.

"I have a resident on my service who will be monitoring Ben throughout the night. She will page me if anything comes up. But he should be just fine. I am back here early tomorrow morning so I will check in on the both of you then." April started to head for the door.

"Dr. Kepner, are you ok?" Ben's dad asked.

"I am. Just a long day that ended with a surgery on a little boy. Its always hard when I see kids hurt." With that, April walked out of the room. She checked to make sure someone was delivering the bed to the room. Once she saw it being rolled down the hall, she packed up her stuff to leave the hospital. She was exhausted. It had proven to be a long night. But she didn't know how much sleep she would get. Her little girl was with her dad and her little boy…. Her little boy was with God. Someday she would see him again. And that would have to get her through.


	2. Chapter 2

April arrived bright and early at the hospital the next morning. She had managed to get some sleep. Well, just a couple of hours. But it was more than she expected she would get. Today was the first of her four days with Harriet so at the end of her shift she would be able to take her little girl home.

Her first top of the day was to check on Ben. As she approached Ben's floor, she saw a gaggle of nurses camped out at the nurse's station outside Ben's door. She saw her resident, Dr. Wilson in the middle of the group and yelled at her.

"Dr. Wilson - what in the world is going on over here?"

"Do you know who Ben's dad is?" Wilson asked.

"Um yeah, he is Jack Smith. Ben's dad." April said.

"Yes - but do you know _who_ he is?"

April arched her eyebrows in an exhausted look. "Wilson what are you talking about"?

"Ben's dad is Jack Smith. The starting quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks. Not only is he the starting quarterback - but he is one of the best quarterbacks in football."

"Ok. Great". April said sarcastically. "But does that mean we have to stand around here like a bunch of school girls?

Wilson continued, "Well, he isn't just an amazing quarterback that won a Super Bowl, he is h-o-t hot. Don't tell me you didn't notice."

"Doctor Wilson, I performed a five hour surgery on this man's son. The last thing I was worried about was how h-o-t hot the dad was. Now, can we go in and round on the patient please?"

"Sure Doctor Kepner."

"Thank you. Lets go."

Wilson and April started towards the room when April heard the nurses chatting. "He was just on the cover of Seattle Living," said one. "Is he single? Asked another.

"Ladies! You have jobs to do. So go do them. Leave this poor man alone," April yelled. With that, the nurses dispersed, rolling their eyes and huffing in annoyance with April.

Wilson opened the door for April and they walked into Ben's room.

"Good morning Mr. Smith. How is our patient doing this morning?" April asked.

Jack Smith stood and reached out his hand to April. "Good morning Doctor Kepner. He has woken up a few times, but is very groggy," answered Ben's dad.

"That is perfectly normal," said April as she shook Jack's hand. As she looked at him during their handshake, she suddenly became aware that the nurses were right. Jack Smith was hot. He was very tall, probably around 6'4" April guessed. Jack smiled at her as they shook hands, displaying two dimples and his piercing eyes.

"Oh geez," thought April to herself "Snap out of it Kepner."

"Wilson, give me the rundown."

"Ben Smith, age four," Wilson began. "Arrived last night, the victim of a hit and run accident. Presented with broken ribs that pierced the chest cavity. We did surgery to set his ribs and stop his internal bleeding. Patient has been stable overnight, waking a few times. Neuro was able to do a consult and found no brain damage. I have ordered a plastic surgery consult this morning to clean up the lacs on his face." Wilson concluded.

"Thank you Doctor Wilson. Mr. Smith, Ben looks good. Its an encouraging sign that he made it through the night well, and according to his chart, his temperature has remained normal throughout the night - so far, so good, no infections. We will of course keep monitoring for that. We will back off on some of his pain meds this morning. That will help him stay awake for a bit and we will work with him to get him out of bed at least to stand at some point today. We have found the sooner, a patient is up even for just a bit, the quicker the recovery. Do you have any questions for me? April concluded.

"Ah - no. Not that I can think of," Jack said. Oh, wait. Ben has an older sister who is eight. They told me she couldn't come visit. Is there anyway I can bring her up?"

"I am afraid not until Ben is in the step down unit. But, if we are able to get him up and about today, we maybe able to wheel him around a bit, and bring him to her," April concluded.

"That would be great. She is really worried about her baby brother. Seeing him, will really help her."

"Ok, Wilson, keep an eye on Ben's stats for me. I have ordered his pain meds to be reduced, so see if you can get him at least standing around lunch time. Mr. Smith, I will be back after lunch to check in and see how Ben is doing. In the meantime, he is in the very capable hands of Dr. Wilson."

"Great. Thank you so much again Dr. Kepner. For everything. If something would have happened to Ben…" Jack trailed off, his blue eyes filling a bit with tears as he looked away from April.

"Mr. Smith, its ok. Ben's a fighter and he is in the best place he could be right now. I promise we will take very good care of your son," April said as she reached out and grabbed Jack's hand and gave it a squeeze. She totally understood what Jack was feeling. But at least she could help save his life. She looked back at Ben laying in the bed. She couldn't do anything to save Samuel, but she could save Ben.

April found herself tearing up again at the thought of Samuel. She excused herself from Ben's room and decided to go and visit Harriet in daycare. She was so excited to have Harriet back tonight. Missing her daughter on the nights she was with Jackson was heartbreaking to April. As she walked to the daycare she thought about how everything had turned out. Never in her wildest dreams did she ever imagine she would be a single mom sharing custody of her living daughter with her ex husband, while continuing to mourn her baby who wasn't with her. In all her childhood dreams, she had a house full of kids, a husband she loved and a career as a doctor. She had imagined their house, what their kids would look like… there would be two boys and two girls… maybe 3 girls…

Her reality was much different than what she had imagined.

Even so, she was so very thankful for Harriet. Her miracle baby. And her job. She loved being a doctor. The rest… well, Harriet and her job would have to be enough.

As she turned the corner to the daycare, she saw Jackson talking to Maggie. "Ugh," April thought to herself. She knew they weren't actually related - but thought it was weird to date your mom's husband's daughter. Whatever. April was getting used to seeing Jackson around the hospital with Maggie. It still hurt. It would probably always hurt. Jackson had been such a big part of her life was now just her baby's father. Their relationship was reduced to texting back and forth regarding Harriet's care. They sat down for lunch once a month to work on the schedule for the following month. Occasionally they worked on a case together. They were civil towards each other. If you didn't know any better you would think they were just colleagues.

April walked by Jackson and Maggie. She smiled politely and said hello to them and went along her way to visit Harriet. She no sooner reached the daycare doors when her pager went off.

"Shoot," April said outloud. She sighed as she walked away from the door and started towards the ER. Maybe it will be an early day and she and will get to take Harriet home early. She could hope.


	3. Chapter 3

The page was for a woman injured in a car crash. Luckily for the woman, she was not seriously injured and April was able to discharge her after doing a thorough examine and running some tests. It was close to lunch time so April decided to head up the cafeteria and grab a quick sandwich before headed to check on Ben. She had chatted briefly with Wilson and it seemed everything was going well. Wilson mentioned Ben's dad had some questions for her about Ben's recovery too.

Once she made it up to the peds floor she headed to the nurses desk to grab and iPad and check Ben's chart. One of the nurses told her that Ben's dad had left to have lunch with his daughter but he would be back around 1:30pm. April was hoping the nurses had stopped oogling over Mr. Smith and were leaving him alone.

She walked into Ben's room to find the little boy sleeping, with the tv on. According to Wilson's notes, Ben had been awake much of the morning and he was able to get up and stand for a few minutes. Encouraging news April thought to herself. She noted that plastics still had not been up to check on the bruises on Ben's face. Seems they were backed up. April rolled her eyes, thinking of Jackson and Maggie in the hallway earlier. Yeah… too busy to check on a 4 year old, but not to busy to flirt with Maggie. Ugh… April reminded herself that she just needed to let it go.

She reached over Ben's bed to get the tv remote to turn off the tv. Just as she did, Jackson came into the room.

"Hey," he said to her, looking surprised to see April in the room.

"Hi. Thanks for coming by to check on him. Just wanted you to look at the lacs on his face. He is only four. He shouldn't have to be reminded of the time he got hit by a car everytime he looks in a mirror."

"No, he shouldn't. Let me take a look." Jackson started poking away on his ipad, pulling up Ben's chart. As he reviewed it, April noticed his face became very serious. She figured, he must of read Ben's birthdate.

"Yeah. December 1, 2012," April said. "I saw that too."

Jackson looked up at her. As she met his eyes, she could feel the tears coming on. Tears for all their hopes and dreams that died with their son. No. She was not going to do this she thought to herself. She shook her head as she looked back down at Ben.

"So what do you think? Can you fix him up?"

"I think so," Jackson said as he looked back down at the sleeping boy.

As Jackson continued to examine Ben, the door to the room opened. Jack Smith walked into his son's room, carrying a big sign clearly made by Ben's sister. It was a poster board with the words "Get Well Soon" and "I Miss You" written in hot pink marker.

"Mr. Smith, this is Doctor Jackson Avery. He is the head of Plastics. He is checking on the lacerations on Ben's face to see if he can reduce the risk of scarring. Jackson this is…"

"Jack Smith…" Jackson interrupted April. "Wow. It is so nice to meet you. You were amazing in last year's Super Bowl." Jackson held out his hand to shake Jack's hand.

"Thank you," Jack said as he reached out to shake Jackson's hand. "We had a great season, a great team and great fans."

April smiled as she realized just how awe struck Jackson was. He was babbling on like the nurses were earlier. Jackson was going on about some play Jack made during a game the clinched the division? April had no idea. She knew next to nothing about football and could care less. Jackson was still going on and Jack was clearly getting tired of the conversation.

"Dr. Avery," April interjected, hoping to redirect Jackson's fangirl routine back the 4 year old laying in the bed.

"Dr. Avery, do you think you can repair the lacs?"

"Oh…. Yes. Since he is only four, he should have very minimal scaring. There is a small area on his forehead that I think I would like to do a small skin graft on. But I would like to get a better look at it in the morning if that is ok with you?" Jackson finished, looking at Jack.

"Of course, whatever you all think. You have taken such good care of Ben. I trust whatever you suggest."

"Great. Thank you Doctor Avery," April said, dismissing Jackson.

Jackson took off his gloves as he walked out the door. "It was nice to meet you Mr. Smith."

"You too. Thank you again for taking such good care of Ben. And its Jack. You can call me Jack."

Jackson shook Jack's hand again before he walked out the door.

"So, Jack," April paused before continuing, "Dr. Wilson mentioned you had some questions for me about Ben's recovery."

"Yes. He seemed really off balance when they stood him up earlier. I was wondering if you thought he might need physical therapy. I have an amazing trainer on the team. I could line him up to work with Ben once he gets out."

April smiled at Jack. "Lets not get ahead of ourselves. Ben's age is on his side. Kids are incredibly resilient. I am willing to bet that in a few days he will be up and running around here. You will barely know he was just in a horrible accident."

"Ok then. I will hold off on the physical therapist."

Just then, Ben started to wake up. "Mommy… I want my mommy," Ben said has he started to cry. Jack moved up to Ben's bedside to where Jackson had been standing and started whispering to the boy.

"Ben, buddy… its Daddy. I am here."

"I want Mommy." Ben cried.

"I know buddy, but she isn't here. I am though, and I am not going anywhere." Jack said as he lovingly ran his hand down his son's cheek trying to comfort him.

"And Lauren is waiting for you at home with Mimi and Papa. And Grandma and Grandpa were on vacation, but they are headed back now to come and see you, Ok? You are going to be fine and home soon. I promise. Doctor Kepner said you can have a popsicle if you would like one. Do you want me to get you one?" April helped prop Ben up in his bed after she pushed the button to elevate his head so he was in a more upright position. She couldn't help wondering what had happened to Ben's mom and why she wasn't here. None of her business she surmised.

"I want a popsicle," Ben demanded.

"Great said April," she told Ben. "I was just on my way out. I will tell the nurses to bring you in one Popsicle, stat. Stat is a word we used around here to say in a hurray. But first I have a very important question for you Ben. Do you want, red, orange or purple?"

"Red. I love red popsicles!"

"Then red it is," April said as she started to leave the room.

"I am headed out early today, but I will be back tomorrow morning bright and early to check on Ben."

"Sounds good. Thank you again for everything."

"No problem." April said, smiling as she headed out the door and to the nurses station.

The day had proven to be a slow one in the ER. They were overstaffed, so she volunteered to go home early so she can enjoy her first of her four days with Harriet. She went to the attendings lounge where she found Arizona.

"There you are! I have been looking for you everywhere! I hear you have been spending a lot of time with a certain good looking quarterback…" Arizona said as she changed her scrub top.

"What! No! Who told you that. I have no idea what you are talking about!" April exclaimed. Mortifitied that anyone would think she was flirting with a patient's father.

"Well, I kind of made it up - because even though I don't bat for that team, even I can appreciate the god that man is. Have you seen the cover of Men's Health this month? He is on it. OMG April… you have got to go after that."

"Arizona! Seriously!"

"April, yes seriously! You are a single woman in the her sexual prime. You need to have some fun! I have see you on your phone, swiping through all of those losers on tinder. You have a bonafide stud right in your fingertips. You don't have to swipe right or left or whatever the hell you are supposed to do on that stupid app. You just have to ask him out!."

"Have you been drinking?" April asked Arizona, only half kidding. "His son is in the hospital and I am his doctor. I am not going to ask him out." April rolled her eyes. She started to change her clothes as Arizona continued on.

"April, I am worried about you," Arizona said as she went up and put her hand on April's shoulder.

"I appreciate that Arizona, but I am fine. I have Harriet and I have my job. That is enough for right now."

"I know you believe that April, but I am telling you what I see. You are fine on the days you have Harriet. But the days you don't, you work non stop. You should take that time to start dating. You don't have to marry the next guy that comes along. But at least dip your toe in the water. See how it feels. I am telling you, the longer you wait, the harder it will get to start dating again."

April looked at her friend with sad eyes. Maybe Arizona was right. Maybe she needed to go out on a date. Pick one of the guys on Tinder and go out to dinner with him. There was no way she would consider going out with Jack though. He was her patient's father and nothing else.

"OK, I will think about it." April said to Arizona as she gave her a hug. "Thank you for worrying about me."

"That is what friends are for." Arizona hugged April back and then headed for the door. "Lunch tomorrow?"

"Sure. Sounds good. I will see you later." April watched as Arizona walked out of the room. She sat down on the bench and sighed. She figured she could worry about this another day. She had four days to look forward to with Harriet. She would worry about dating another day.


	4. Chapter 4

April arrived home to her house about an hour later with Harriet in tow. She carried Harriet from the car to the door, putting her daughter down so she could unlock the door. Once inside, Harriet went running to her little play corner April had put together for her. It was a little area in the living room that featured all of Harriet's toys. Harriet loved to play with her kitchen set, making imaginary meals for April.

"Baby girl, why don't you make dinner in your kitchen, while I make dinner in mine, April told her daughter." Harriet squealed with delight as April scooped her up in the her arms and blew raspberries on her daughter's tummy. "Down mama! Down! Hattie Down!" Harriet called herself Hattie, a nickname that was growing on April. April put down her daughter, blew her a kiss and headed to the kitchen to start dinner.

The kitchen was April's favorite room in her house. She had found the house quickly after she decided to move out of Jackson's. While most of her life wasn't what she planned, this house was. It was perfect for her. She couldn't have dreamed up a better home for her and her daughter. It was a small cape code that was relatively close to Jackson's house. It was actually between the hospital and Jackson's. It was in a historic part of Seattle. Many of the homes around it had been added on to and built up over the years, but this Cape Cod remained pretty much the same. It had been updated on the inside with modern appliances. It had hardwood floors throughout and the walls were all painted white. April loved the clean lines of the house and open rooms. The kitchen flowed to dining room and living room. The stairs near the front door led to the upstairs where there were two bedrooms. April's bedroom was large with its own walk in closet and bathroom. Harriet's room was much smaller, but it had a lot of character with built in shelves and a window seat that April adored. She could already imagine Harriet growing up and sitting in the window seat reading a book, or writing in a diary.

The house had a decent sized back yard with a patio. There was a four foot iron fence on either side of the back yard and a six foot wooden fence on the back. April loved sitting on her patio as Harriet ran around the backyard and played. The neighbors on either side of April's house were warm and welcoming to April. In fact she had become friends with the both of the women who lived in the next door houses. One had twins Harriet's age and the other had two girls 4 and 6 years old. April loved that Harriet had built in playmates right in her own backyard.

As April made dinner she thought about what Arizona had said about Jack Smith. He was cute. Hot, in fact. He was tall, taller than Jackson. He had bright blue eyes, dimples and sandy brown hair. Being a dad seemed to come naturally to him.

April poured herself a glass of wine and grabbed her laptop as she headed out to the patio. "Hattie, baby… why don't you come play outside before dinner. I bet Phoebe and Maddy would like to play. Phoebe and Maddy were the girls who lived next door. "I bet when they see you outside kicking your ball around, they will come outside.

Harriet came toddling through the kitchen and April helped her navigate the stairs out to the patio. Once Harriet was safely in the backyard, April set down her glass of wine and laptop. She opened up her laptop and logged on her computer. Taking a sip of her wine, she decided to google Jack Smith. She wasn't interested or anything she told herself. Just curious.

She typed "Jack Smith, Men's Health Magazine" into the search box and hit return. Within a second, up popped the cover of Men's Health that Arizona was talking about. Wow, April thought to herself. Yup. That picture was enough to make any woman stop in her tracks. Even if she batted for the other team. The picture showed a shirtless Jack, running one hand through his hair while flexing his abs. He had crazy abs April noted. He looked tanner in the picture than what she had seen in Ben's hospital room.

"Hattie! Hattie!" April heard the yelling over the side of the fence. Phoebe and Maddy were on their side of the fence yelling for Harriet. April got up and unlocked the gate between the two yards.

"Hi girls! Hattie is here. Do you want to play? April asked.

"Thank God Hattie is back. She helps my crazy girls run off some of their endless energy." April looked up and saw her neighbor Kate coming out of her house with a glass of wine.

"Ha! I am not sure what Harriet would do without your girls either," April said to Kate as she held the gate open for her. "Come on over. I was just having a glass of wine myself."

Kate walked over to April's patio table and glanced at the image on April's computer.

"April why are you reading Men's Health?" Or are you just looking at the pictures?" Kate teased.

"Oh that," April hurried over and shut her computer. I was just doing some research and that picture just popped up.

"Jack Smith huh?"

"How do you know who Jack Smith is?" April asked.

"You know what a big fan Jon is of the Seahawks. Jack Smith is the only thing that makes going to the Seahawks game worth it. He is beautiful. Now - why were you looking at pics of him. "

Kate took a sip of her wine while staring April down. Clearly she was not buying April's explanation.

"Ok, fine, " April sighed. His son is my patient at the hospital. The nurses have been drooling over him and someone mentioned the magazine cover. I was just checking it out."

"Or checking him out," Kate winked at April.

"I am not checking him out," April protested. I was just curious is all.

"Have you heard what happened to his wife?" Kate asked leaning forward in her chair as she took another swig of her wine.

"No. I thought it was weird that Ben's mom hasn't been at the hospital with him. But I learned a long time ago to never ask questions. "

Kate continued, "It was about two years ago. Jon and I were at a Seahawks game. They had just won a playoff game to go to the Super Bowl. His wife's name was McClain. McClain came down to the field with their two kids and just like that she passed out. Right on tv. The ambulance came out and they took her to the hospital. Well, come to find out she had a rare cancerous brain tumor. They gave her just months to live. I guess she did a ton of experimental treatments but nothing worked. She died about six months later.

April was tearing up listening her friend tell her the story of Jack's wife. "Oh my God, that poor man. Those poor kids. That is horrible."

"Yeah, it was really sad."

"That explains why Ben's mom hasn't been by to see him. Poor kid. He woke up this morning asking for his mom."

"I would be surprised if he remembers her. He was just two and half when she died.

Just then, Phoebe started crying. Kate jumped out her chair to go and check on her daughter.

"Maddy hit me!" Phoebe screamed.

April walked over and pick up Harriet who was mesmerized by all the screaming coming out of her little friend.

"She hit me mommy!" Phoebe continued.

"Ok ladies, lets go inside and get a bath. I think the two of you need an early bedtime tonight. Kate picked up Phoebe and grabbed Maddy's hand as she started out towards the gate.

"We will see you ladies later," Kate said to April. "And oh, by the way April, Jack Smith is considered quite the catch. Women have been beating down his door literally and figuratively trying to get a date with him. If you have a chance, you should definitely throw your hat into the ring."

"What? No! I can't date him. He is my patient's father!" April protested a little too vigoursly.

"Ha! So you have thought about it!" Kate yelled over her shoulder as she shut the gate. "Keep me posted!"

April rolled her eyes as she grabbed her glass of wine and took Harriet back inside. The casserole she had put in the over was about done, so she started setting the table for dinner. Maybe he is cute, and single, and an amazing dad. But he is way out of my league, April thought. Wait! No! April. No! You can't be thinking about this.

April and Harriet had dinner. Once they were done, April cleaned up, packed up the leftovers for her lunches for the rest of the week and turned off the kitchen lights. Harriet was happily playing in her corner.

"Ok missy. It is time for your bath. Let's go." April grabbed Harriet and headed upstairs. She bathed Harriet and got her ready for bed before getting ready for bed herself. She thought about little Ben as she fell asleep. It dawned on her that this little boy who shares a birthday with her son, was left motherless, while she had been left childless with the loss of her son. It was moments like these that tested April's faith the most. She did not understand how a loving God could put so much misery in the world.

When April got up the next morning, she went through her regular morning routine. She showered, did her hair and make up and got ready for the day. While looking in her closet for something to wear, she notice the box. It was packed away deep inside her closet. She knew it was there - but didn't necessarily want to see it everyday, thus why it was buried in the back. But she saw it when she bent over to grab a pair of shoes. She slowly pulled the box out and pulled back the flaps. She pulled out two teddy bears. She chuckled as she remembered the day she brought one of the bears home. She and Jackson were so excited. She couldn't wait until Jackson got home so she could show him the little gift she got for the baby. When Jackson got home, he was excited too as he had bought the baby a gift too. As it turned out, they had bought the exact same bear. They decided to keep both and got a good chuckle over their identical taste in stuffed bears.

April had held onto one of the bears for weeks after Samuel died. She slept with it. Heck, she even took it to Jordan with her. It was a constant companion and for some reason, brought her a little peace and comfort while she was missing her son. April head up both bears. The one she had taken to Jordan was certainly worse for wear. But the other looked brand new. She thought about Ben and how he had lost his mom at such a young age. She felt a bond with the little boy - knowing that they both had lost something so precious to them. April put the worn bear back in the box with the rest of Samuel's things and put the box back in its corner of the closet. She grabbed the other bear and held it up. Maybe this bear could bring Ben a little comfort as he heals from his accident and misses his mom. April popped the bear into a gift bag she had on hand and put some tissue paper over it. She decided to take it to work the next day.

The rest of the day at work went by pretty quickly. It had been a busy day in the ER so she was only able to check on Ben at the end of the day. The majority of his care had been handed over the Alex, who like Jackson, was fangirling the quarterback. Ben had spiked a fever which meant he had an infection brewing. It also meant a few more days in the hospital until they were sure they go it under control. Jack wasn't there when April stopped by, but rather his grandparents were there. She gave the boy the gift she had brought for him and he was delighted when he found the brown stuffed bear inside the gift bag. Ben hugged the bear, decided to name him Huggy and gave April a big hug. The next day was April's day off, so she assumed that might be the last time she saw Ben or his dad. Oh well. Maybe it was for the best. She would move on, eventually. She trusted God had a plan for her. That one day she would be happy again.


	5. Chapter 5

The next few days with Harriet flew by. They had spent April's day off at the zoo, visiting all the new baby animals that had been born that spring. Harriet really loved the baby elephants. April got her a new stuffed elephant that Harriet had been clinging too since she got it.

It was time for Harriet to go to Jackson's, so that morning, April packed up the things Harriet would need for her days at her dad's. They both had all of the essentials for Harriet, so all April needed to pack was a bag with some of Harriet's clothes and favorite toys. Harriet insisted on carrying her new elephant with her to daycare. April dropped off Harriet and her elephant at daycare. She took Harriet's bag with her and dropped it off at Jackson's office. Pulling out her phone, she opened her texting app and texted Jackson. "Harriet is at daycare. Dropped off her bag at your office." April hit send on her phone. A few seconds later, her phone dinged. "Thx" Jackson texted back.

April put her phone back in her bag and headed to the attending lounge to change into her scubs and head to the ER. The first day without Harriet was always the hardest and always the day she hoped it would be busy in the ER. Of course, it never worked out that way. April busied herself with paperwork. She was working on a new checklist for patient admissions. She had thought of a few adjustments she could make to the original one she devised during her residency.

The day crawled by. When six o'clock rolled around there was nothing but empty beds in the ER. She figured she might as well head out. After changing out her scrubs she decided she didn't want to go home. She texted Arizona to see if she wanted to grab a drink. Arizona quickly texted back that she was sorry but she was already on a date. God, April thought to herself. I wish I was more like Arizona sometimes. Still not wanting to go home, she decided to stop at Joe's for a drink. Maybe she would get a burger and some fries. The left over casserole in her fridge wasn't sounding very appealing anyways.

April headed across the street to Joe's. She walked in and started heading to the bar. She grabbed a seat and ordered a scotch neat from the bartender. Scotch was her dad's favorite drink and she always liked it. While some women liked fruity drinks, April was a Scotch/beer sort of girl. She nursed her first drink, pulling out her phone to look at Facebook. Her sisters posted pictures obsessively of April's nieces and nephews. April was thankful for it. She made it home two times a year, and Jackson had been great about allowing her to take Harriet to Moline for a week at a time. She continued scrolling through her Facebook feed for a few minutes before looking at the menu. She got the bartender's attention and ordered a burger and fries and a new drink. She knew her limit was three, so she reminded herself she needed to drink this next one slowly.

The news was on the TV and April was mindlessly watching it when she heard the sound of the door opening. She looked over and was surprised to see Jack Smith standing inside Joe's. She caught Jack's eye as he was looking around the bar, he had clearly never been there and was trying to decide where to sit when he saw April sitting at the bar. He smiled in her direction and started heading her way. April was wishing she already had her second scotch in her. She was much more relaxed and much less awkward after her second scotch.

"Jack," she said. "What are you doing at Joe's?"

"Dr. Kepner, how are you?"

"I am good. Just grabbing some dinner. Would you like to sit?" April offered, looking at the seat next to her at the bar. "Or are you meeting someone?" She asked.

Jack started to sit in the bar stool next to April. "Nope, not meeting anyone. Its been a lousy week and to be honest, I just need a drink. My parents took Lauren for the night. Ben is sleeping, probably out for the night. Nothing sounds better than a scotch."

"How is Ben doing?" April asked. "I thought he would have been discharged by now."

"He is fine. Dr. Karev is great. Just overly cautious, which don't get me wrong, I appreciate. I am just ready to put this whole thing behind us and get Ben home."

The bartender dropped off April's dinner and took Jack's order for a scotch. The bartender asked April if she needed another. She said yes as she practically drank her second glass in one gulp. All of the sudden she was super nervous around Jack. She was very aware of how good he looked outside of the hospital and how close they were sitting next to each other at the bar.

"I am glad Ben is doing better. I stopped by the other day and chatted with his grandparents. Yesterday was my day off. I took my daughter to the zoo, otherwise I would have stopped by."

"No worries, Dr. Kepner."

"April. Just call me April."

The Bartender brought their drinks and set them down on the bar. Jack grabbed his glass and held it up in a toast towards April. "To April, the amazing doctor who saved my son's life. I don't know how to thank you."

April clinked her glass against Jack's and took a sip. "There is no need to thank me. Its my job. I am glad I was able to help."

After a few seconds, Jack asked "So you have a daughter?"

"I do. She is almost a year and half. Her name is Harriet."

"Harriet. That isn't a name you hear everyday anymore."

April laughed. "No, its not. Her dad and I wanted something strong a unique. A name that meant something."

"That is great." Jack smiled at April. She noticed his dimples. And she realized she was getting a bit buzzed off all the scotch she had been consuming.

"So you are married?" Jack asked.

"Divorced. And you?" April asked. She knew the answer to that, but didn't want him to know she had been talking about him or googling him.

"My wife died about a year and half ago." He said looking down at his scotch.

"I am so sorry. Sorry that I asked."

"No, its not a problem. She had an inoperable brain tumor. She tried several treatments, but they were brutal. She didn't want to put herself or the kids through anymore and decided to quick the treatments and go. Its been a hard. Hard for me. Hard for the kids. I finally felt like we had turned a corner and then this happened." Jack sighed. "Like I said, I just needed a drink.' Jack finished his first drink and waived down the bartender for another.

"I get it. Scotch can make things seem better. If only for a short while." April smiled at him.

"So I see you are enjoying some scotch tonight too. I know why I am drinking and now so do you. Why are you drinking, Dr Kepner… I mean April," he corrected himself.

"My ex husband and I have joint custody of our daughter. I get her four days a week, he gets here three. Today is the start of his three days. Its just hard to go home to an empty house."

"That has to be hard. Why did you get divorced, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I don't think you have that much time for that story. Its very long." Jack looked at her out of the side of his eye.

"Nope - I told you mine, now you have to tell me yours."

"In a nutshell, we did our residencies together, became doctors together, then started dating, quit dating, I was engaged to someone else, but he stood up at my wedding to other guy professing his love for me. I ran out on that wedding with him and we got married the next day. We had a baby. A son. He died shortly after he was born and I couldn't handle it. So I essentially joined the Army and worked as a doctor for year in the middle east. Jackson didn't understand that and he filed for divorce. I found out I was pregnant the day we signed the divorce papers."

"Wow," Jack said. "And that is the nutshell version" he joked with her.

"Yes." April smiled. "You won't believe the stuff I left out," she chuckled.

"April, it seems to me we have both been to hell and back the last couple of years." Jack held up his scotch to toast April again.

"I would agree with that." April clinked her glass against Jack's and took another drink. They order another round. April ordered a glass of water too, promising herself this scotch would indeed be her last and that she would drink water instead. She motioned for the bartender to take her untouched burger away.

"So I feel like I owe you an apology for all of the chatter going on behind your back at the hospital. It seems you have a few fans around Seattle," April smiled. "But lucky for you, I know next to nothing about football, even though I went to Ohio State. In my four years as a Buckeye I only managed to make it to one football game."

"Ah, why did you go to Ohio State then?" Jack joked.

"For the education, duh.."

"No one goes to Ohio State for an education. They go for two reasons… Football and ah… football." Jack laughed.

"Well I clearly went for the education," said April.

"You might be the only one. Hey, do you want to move over to one of the booths, it might be more comfortable." Jack asked.

"Sure" said April. She grabbed her drink and bag and followed Jack over to a booth against the wall.

They ordered dinner and yet another round of drinks and talked and laughed. April realized she hadn't laughed that hard in a long time. Jack was funny and charming. She was sure she was coming off as the awkward nerd she is, but she was having such a good time, she didn't care. Before they knew it, they had been sitting at the booth for four hours. April knew she was drunk and she figured Jack was too. The bartender began closing up the bar. They took that as the cue to go, slowly getting up from the booth, both a little wobbly from consuming a ridiculous amount of scotch. April headed for the bathroom while Jack pulled a roll of cash from his pocket and put down two one hundred dollar bills on the bar. He thanked the bartender and motioned for April to go out first once she returned from the bathroom.

"How are you getting home?" Jack ask April.

"I think I am going to head back the hospital, hook myself up to a banana bag and sleep there."

"You can do that?" Jack laughed.

"It is one of the great perks of being a doctor. Banana bags are an amazing tool in the prevention of hangovers. How about you?"

"I called a buddy to come pick me up while you were in the bathroom. I was going to offer you a ride but it seems you don't need one."

April smiled. "I had a great time tonight Jack. I can honestly say I haven't laughed that hard in years."

"Me too" said Jack. He was standing across from April. For a brief moment April, let her eyes drop to Jack's lips. She wondered what it would be like to kiss him. "Ok," she interrupted her thoughts, "I am going to head back to the hospital. I will stop by Ben's room in the morning to say goodbye to him."

"Sounds good. Good night April."

"Good night." April left Jack standing on the corner. She was grinning from ear to ear. She had truly had a great time with him. She didn't think it would lead to anything, but it was a lovely night. One she had needed. Maybe she was ready to date after all. Maybe Arizona was right. Maybe she just needed to get back on the horse. April pulled out her phone and looked at her tinder account. She had two offers to talk with guys. And they were cute. Not Jack Smith cute - but cute just the same. Maybe she would swipe right on them tomorrow. Priority number one right now was that banana bag.


	6. Chapter 6

April woke up the next morning in an on call room. While she wasn't feeling a hundred percent, she imagined she would feel much worse if not for the banana bag she administered to her self last night. She stretched as sat up in the bed and started getting up. She slept in scrubs and decided that she probably should take a quick shower before she headed down to the ER for the day.

When she reached the attending lounge, she ran into Meredith and Maggie who were going back and forth on what Maggie should get Zola for her birthday. April said hi to both of them as she passed through the lounge on the way to the showers. While in the shower, April thought about the previous night with Jack. She smiled remembering all the corny jokes Jack told her and all of the scotch they drank. Ben was being discharged today and she remembered that she told Jack she would stop by. April doubted he remembered that she had said that, but just the same she wanted to say goodbye to the little boy.

Once she was ready for the day, she stopped by the coffee cart in the hallway before heading to the nurses station to grab an ipad. She pulled up Ben's chart. Everything looked great. Alex was an excellent peds doctor and had done a great job caring for Ben. He was as good as new.

April tucked the iPad under her arm, grabbed her coffee and headed for Ben's room. It was busy in his room to say the least. Ben's grandparents, several very large men April assumed were Seattle Seahawks and the Seahawk mascot were crowded into his room. April squeezed through all the people to make her way over to Ben's bedside. She didn't see him when she first entered the room, but Jack was standing on the other side of Ben's bed talking to a couple of the very large men.

"Doctor Kepner!" Ben screamed. "Do you see there is a bird in my room. A big, huge bird!" April had to agree. The mascot was a big, huge bird and was taking up a lot of space in the room.

"I do Ben! How exciting! I just wanted to stop by and say goodbye. Doctor Karev told me that you are breaking out of here today. You must be so excited to go home."

"I am! I can't wait to see my goldfish, my dog and my friends. And go swimming. Dad, when can we go swimming?"

"When Doctor Kepner says its ok buddy," Jack said. "April, I would like to introduce you to the men who keep me out of the hospital. These men are my offensive line. Guys this is Doctor Kepner. She took care of Ben the night of the accident and did his surgery."

The largest guy, a man name Otis was standing closest to April picked her up and gave her a big bear hug. April, understandably shocked by the lift and hug squealed a high pitched sound.

"Thank you doesn't even begin to do it Doctor Kepner. You saved Ben's life. And took good care of our man Jack. We would love for your and your family to be a guest of ours at one of the Seahawks games this year," Otis told April.

"That is so sweet of you, but completely not necessary. I am just glad that I could help and that Ben has made a full recovery. Jack, did Doctor Karev give you instruction for Ben's care? Do's and don'ts, when to call us if you think there is a problem?

"Yes, he did. We are just waiting for him to finish up the final discharge papers and we should be good to go," said Jack.

"Great," April smiled. "Well, I guess you all don't need me here anymore so I am going to head back down to the ER to see if there is anyone I can help there. It was nice meeting all of you. Take care."

April gave Ben a big hug before she made her way out of the room. April closed the door behind her and started to walk back to the elevator assuming that was the last she would see of Ben and his dad.

As she reach the elevator, she heard someone yelling her name. She turned around to see Jack walking towards her.

"Hey," she said smiling at Jack. "What's up?"

"Are you sure Ben's ok to go home. Should he maybe stay another day just to make sure everything is ok? I guess I am just nervous to bring him home."

"Jack is completely fine. He will tire easy and need to take it easy, but otherwise he is just fine." As she was saying this, she pulled out one of her cards out of her pocket. She started jotting down her cellphone number on the backside of the card. "Here, take this," she said. That is my cellphone number. Feel free to call or text me anytime. Day or night if there is something you are concerned about or if you have any questions about Ben's recovery."

"I just need him to be ok," Jack said as he took the card from April.

"He is. He is ok and will be as good as new in no time. I promise."

"Thanks April. Thank you for everything. You have been a Godsend this last week."

"You have to stop thanking me. You are going to give me a big head," April said laughing at Jack. Just then the elevator door dinged and doors opened.

"I have to go. I will see you around Jack, " April said as she got on the elevator.

"See you around April," Jack said as the he watched the elevator door close.

April had a busy day in the ER. Not any big cases, just mostly routine stuff. But it was steady and it kept her busy. She was half way through Jackson's time with Harriet. Jackson was off that day, so Harriet was in the daycare, otherwise she would have stopped and visited her during her lunch break. She was finishing up with a pregnant mom in preterm labor. The nurses had paged Arizona to come down. Once April handed off the case, she was planning to go home. The scotch from last night was starting to catch up with her and she wanted nothing more to slip into some comfy jammies, curl up in bed and fall asleep.

April was plucking away on her iPad wrapping up some chart updates when she heard Arizona's voice. Arizona headed her way once she saw April.

"You paged me?" Arizona asked.

"Yes. I have a pregnant woman in bed 3. She is approximately 21 weeks along and complaining of cramping. We hooked her up to a monitor and it appears she is having some mild contractions. I paged OB and they ordered some drugs to stop the contractions. They did an ultrasound and noticed some abnormalities in the scan and wanted you to come and take a look."

"Got it," Arizona said as she grab and iPad to review the scans. "Oh, so I saw a menagerie of Seattle Seahawks on the peds floor today. I assume that means you Seahawk's son got discharged today?"

"Arizona, he is not my Seahawk," April said, getting worked up once again at Arizona's insinuation that she was going to hit on one of her patients.

"He could be, if you just asked him out. April, what would it hurt?"

"Ah, my pride, my self respect, my ego…"

"You never know until you ask. Well, I guess it doesn't matter anymore, A He is gone."

"Finally, you are right about something," April said to Arizona as she put her iPad back in the row of chargers. "But I actually did have drinks with him last night."

"You what! Why are you holding out on me, April Kepner?

"I am not holding out on you. I went to Joe's after I texted you last night to grab a drink. I was sitting at the bar when Jack walked in. We had a few drinks and talked for awhile. It was no big deal."

"No big deal, she says. So… was he nice? Did you like him? Was there a spark there?" Arizona inquired.

"He is nice. I had fun talking with him, but it was just a coincidence that I ran into him. I wasn't anything other than that. You are right. He is gone, and that is the end of that. I will say you were right about one thing though. It was nice to be out. Especially on a night that I didn't have Harriet. Tonight, I am going to respond to one of my tinder matches and go out on a real date."

"Good girl," Arizona smiled. "You are finally listening to me. Although I think you are missing out by not going after the Seahawk. Ok, I am going to go check on my patient. I will catch you later," and with that Arizona was on her way.

April looked up at the ER board to make sure everything was under control before she headed up to the attending lounge to grab her stuff. She was tired, so she didn't bother changing into her regular clothes. She just grabbed her bag, stuffed her regular clothes into it and headed towards the door.

She made it home in no time. After getting the mail and checking her machine, she remembered that it was her parent's anniversary. She had sent them a card but decided she should probably call them. The phone rang several times before their voicemail picked up. She left a message wishing them a happy day and asked her mom to call her when she got a chance.

April made her way up to her room, skipping dinner all together in favor of crawling into her bed. She turned on the tv to some random show and pulled out her phone to check her email and Facebook feed. She saw more pictures of her nieces and nephews and commented and like the posts made by her sisters. After reading a few articles on the Washington Post website, she found herself starting to doze off. Just as she was about to fully fall asleep, her phone dinged. She figured it was a text from her mom apologizing for missing April's call, so she didn't check it. She pushed her phone over to the other side of the bed and further buried herself into her down comforter. The phone dinged another time and April decided she should probably check it. Maybe it was Jackson asking a question about Harriet. April pulled her arms out from under the covers and grabbed the phone. She turned it over and saw there were two texts from a number she didn't recognize. She opened up the messages and started reading.

"April, its Jack. I am sorry to bother you, but Ben has developed a bit of a cough." The second text said "Is it ok to give him some cough medicine. Its probably just a cold but I wanted to make sure it was ok to give him the medicine."

April was surprised to see the texts from Jack. She had almost forgotten she had given him her phone number. She started typing back. "No problem. I am sure its fine. Cough medicine is fine. If he is still coughing in the morning, or it gets worse, you call me and bring him back to the hospital, or take him to see his pediatrician." April hit send on her phone and waited for Jack to text her back.

"Great. Thanks for messaging me back. I will give him the cough medicine." Jack texted back.

April figured that was the end of that and started to put her phone down and it dinged again.

"I don't know about you but it been a long day. I don't think I have drank that much in a long time. Did your banana bag save you from the wrath of a scotch hang over?

April smiled and started typing back "Yes and no. I felt fine this morning but as the day wore on, the hangover definitely caught up with me. I was just heading to bed when I got your text."

"I will stop texting you then and let you get some sleep. I had a great time last night. We should do it again sometime."

April almost dropped her phone. Seriously? Was he asking her out? It was moments like this that April hated texting. It left so much up to interpretation. She was terrible at social cues even when she could see the person. Texting was just way over her head. She hesitated at what she should say next. She didn't want to see too eager or excited. A few minutes passed and she still didn't know what to say. She started typing. "That would be great." And hit send. Just a few seconds later her phone dinged again. "Have a great night April.".

She put down her phone and was suddenly wide awake. Jack had texted her and in some sort of way had suggested they go out again. Was it a date? A couple of friends throwing back some scotch? Could he possibly like her? She hadn't even really thought about the possibility of liking him. He was way out of her league and by the sounds of things had women throwing themselves at him. There is no way in the world he would want to go out with her. But didn't he just ask her? Did she like him? Her brain was moving a thousand miles a minute thinking about what had just happened.

"Ok Kepner," April said outloud to herself. "Its no big deal. Maybe he was just being nice. Maybe he does want have drinks with you again. You just need to take Arizona's advice and relax. Nothing is happening tonight. So just close your eyes and sleep off your hangover.

April laid back down in bed and tried to calm herself down. She couldn't help but think about the previous night and how much she had enjoyed her night with Jack. Maybe there was something there. She would just have to wait and see how things turned out.


	7. Chapter 7

April had the next couple of days off. She had Harriet back for her four days plus and extra day. Jackson had an Avery family function to attend in Boston so he needed April to keep Harriet the extra day until he got back into town. April wasn't certain what the event was. It wasn't her business anymore, but she noticed Catherine had been on the surgery board the last couple of day. Whatever the Avery family business was, it didn't involve Catherine which was unusual. It made April think that Jackson had gone off to do something with Maggie, who was also absent from the hospital. She figured Jackson would probably feel awkward telling her that he was going on a trip with Maggie, so rather than tell her the truth - he used the Avery family business excuse.

It was her first day back at the hospital after a three day break. She didn't hear anymore from Jack so she assumed Ben was doing well. April thought about texting Jack to see how Ben was doing. It wouldn't be out of the ordinary for a doctor to check up on her patient. However, April decided against it. She actually had broken out a pro/con list about the matter and it soundly came down on the con list. Nothing good could come out of continued contact with Jack. She had played this game before. She gets hung up on a guy out of her league, he seems interested until he sees her neurotic side and quickly decides to move on. April decided cutting it off now was best.

She had spent the morning in surgery with an elderly woman who had fallen and broken her hip. April worked with an ortho surgeon to set the hip. The surgery had taken much of the morning so after, April stopped at the attending lounge to grab the lunch she had packed herself before heading back to the ER. She no sooner popped the lid off her leftover turkey casserole when she her the click clack click of shoes coming down the hallway. The only person April knew who made that much noise walking down a hallway was Catherine. It was like a warning shot to everyone that if they didn't want to be in her wrath - they should hide for cover.

April and Catherine had been getting along since April stepped up when Meredith temporarily gave up her duties as Chief of General Surgery. Catherine had told April she saw a lot of herself in April. The usually had lunch about once a month with Harriet, a sort of girls day out. Catherine had proven to be a doting grandmother to the little girl. April hoped it stayed that way. She dreaded the day that Harriet would be dragged into the Avery family legacy.

"April… April I have looking everywhere for you this morning. Where have you been?" Catherine yelled across the ER as she made her way to April.

"Surgery. I had a surgery this morning. I actually just got back to the ER. What's going on? Everything ok?" April asked.

"Ok? Ok? Darling - everything is wonderful and its all because of you!" Catherine gave April a big hug to extenuate the point.

"Ah - Ok," April said, shocked by Catherine's sudden display of affection. "Catherine, I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Yesterday afternoon, I got a phone call from the Seattle Seahawks Foundation. The wanted to meet with me to discuss a monetary donation to the trauma center here. Apparently, the son of one of the players was in a terrible accident and you saved his life."

April shook her head, "Yes, Ben Smith. He came in looking just banged up, but he had broken a rib that was piercing his heart. His dad is the quarterback for the team."

"They came over after we talked on the phone. I looked for you then, but it was your day off. They had asked you be in the meeting."

"Me?" April questioned. "Why me?"

"The player whose son was hurt went on about the amazing care his son received from you and the rest of the staff here. He went to the team Foundation asking if they could make a gift to the hospital in his son's name. I can't believe how fast it all happened. These conversations usually take months to hammer out all of the details. But the Seahawks Foundation knew exactly what they wanted. April, they are coming here this afternoon to present the hospital with a check for Five. Million. Dollars. And is a 10 year contract meaning they will pay us $5 million dollars a year for the next 10 years. "

"Catherine, that is amazing," April said smiling. She was truly amazed that her care of a patient had warranted such a gift.

"They are presenting the hospital with a check this afternoon. You are standing in the soon to be renamed "Seattle Seahawks Trauma Center at Sloane Grey Memorial Hospital. They asked that you come to the check presentation as they want to include you in the ceremony," Catherine concluded.

"Me? Oh Catherine, that is way out of my comfort zone. That's more your area of expertise," April protested.

"Darling. When someone calls you and offers you fifty million dollars over ten years, and one of the few requests they have is your presence. You show up. The ceremony is at 4pm in the hospital lobby. There was no time to coordinate a new sign for the ER yet so that will have to do. Please be there at 3:45 for instruction on where you are supposed to be. I will see you then."

Catherine gave April another big hug and went on her way, click clacking her way back to the elevator.

April took a deep breath. She had no idea why she had to go to this ceremony. It was extremely generous of the Seahawks to make a gift to the hospital on behalf of Ben - but she was completely happy hiding in the background and doing her job. The schmoozing part was not something she was very comfortable with.

She started eating her turkey casserole when it hit her. Jack would probably be there. Was that why she was supposed to show up today? Did he request it? Clearly he must have gone to the Foundation to request the gift. Since he is big celebrity in Seattle, they probably do whatever asks. April set down her lunch and picked up her phone to text Arizona.

"Need you asap. Not work related," April typed and hit send. Arizona had been driving her absolutely crazy with all of the talk about Jack lately, but she needed someone to calm her down about the upcoming ceremony and Arizona was the only one who knew about her little crush on the football player. April hadn't admitted it to Arizona, but April knew she knew. Otherwise Arizona would have let it drop.

April's phone dinged back "Where are you?" It was from Arizona.

"ER" April quickly typed.

"Be there in a sec."

April looked down at her lunch and was now officially to nervous to eat. She put the lid back on the casserole arranged it in her lunch bag which she put in a desk drawer behind the ER counter.

In what seemed like second, Arizona was in the ER. April filled in on all that transpired since they had talked a couple of days before. April hadn't told Arizona that she had given Jack her number and they had texted the night Ben got out of the hospital so she included all of that in her rundown to Arizona about why she was all of the sudden so anxious. Arizona had a very expressive face, so April could tell just how hyped up Arizona was now on the possibility that there was something between Jack and April.

"Ok, so take a deep breath," Arizona advised. "Now, we don't know for sure that Jack will be there today, do we?"

"No," April answered. "But how could he not be. He clearly asked for the gift from the foundation. This all has to be his idea."

April's phone dinged. It was Jack. "Hey April. How's it going. Wondering if Ben and I will be seeing you the ceremony today. He made you something."

Arizona read the text over April's shoulder and immediately started jumping up and down, clapping her hands together.

"April! Oh My God, April! He is so into you! Look at that! He texted you to find out if he would see you today!"

"So his son could give me a gift," April explained.

"Don't you see! That is just an excuse. He is probably just as nervous putting himself out there as you are. From what you have told me, he probably hasn't dated since his wife died. He probably hasn't met anyone that he was interested in. Now before you say that he is out of your league - think about it. _You_ are the kick ass trauma surgeon. _You_ save lives everyday. _You_ saved his son's life. He is just a football player. What kind of a profession is that? He is just a football player - April. You wouldn't have give him the time of day in college. Did you ever turn it around and think that maybe he is out of his league?" Arizona finished.

April was trying to take it all in. "Fine. I will go and see what this is all about. But you have to come with me. Be my wing man.. or woman."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world! But hurry up and text him back!" Arizona exclaimed. "I gotta run, but I will meet you here at 3:30 barring any emergencies and we will go together. Oh, I am so excited for you!." Arizona gave April a hug and went on her way.

April picked up her phone and texted Jack. "Hi Jack. Yes. I will be there. Looking forward to seeing you both." April hit send. She hoped to God this day didn't come back to bite her in the ass.

The ER was busy, so busy that April wasn't sure she could break away for the ceremony. Another trauma was coming in and just as April was about to go out and meet the rig, she heard Hunt yell at her.

"Kepner, I have strict instructions to get you out of here at 3:30. What don't you go clean up for your meeting with Catherine and I will handle this one."

April sighed and watched as Hunt went running out to the ambulance bay. Ok, she thought to herself. Its show time. Arizona was walking into the ER just then. She took one look at April and screeched. "April Kepner, you look like a train wreck. Have you looked in a mirror lately? You have someone's blood on your forehead. You and me. Let's go! We have some work to do before we go and see "McBeautiful."

Arizona grabbed April's arm and started dragging her through the ER and up to the attendings lounge.

"You are lucky I showed up a little early. Otherwise we wouldn't have time to fix you up. Go wash your face off in the bathroom. I will get set up out here to do your make up. Scoot! We don't have any time to lose!"

April did as she was told, letting Arizona take the lead. She washed her face, dried it and then went back into the lounge where Arizona had all of her make up spread out.

"You keep all of this make up here?" April asked.

"Of course I do. Our schedules don't always allow for a trip home before a date. Us single ladies have to be prepared. And aren't you lucky I am always prepared."

Arizona started applying makeup to April's face, while April took her hair out of the bun she had it and and let it flow down to her shoulders. It didn't look too bad considering she had had it up all day. She figured a few well place curls with her curling iron could make it look presentable. Arizona in her preparation had plugged in a curling iron and it was ready to go by the time April finished combing out her hair.

Within minutes, they had April looking amazing. Not too done up. Probably a little more makeup than April would wear on a normal day in the ER - but less than she would wear on a date. April's hair was laying perfectly on her shoulders. Arizona instructed her to change out of her scrubs and put on some other clothes. April always kept a conservative black dress in her locker. She got in the habit when she and Jackson were married and they sometimes had a last minute dinner to attend on Avery family business. It had been hanging in her locker for over a year, but was in a dry-cleaning bag that had kept it looking nice. She changed into the dress, put on her white lab coat and looked at Arizona for her approval.

"Damn, we are good! Just like that we got you from tired surgeon to hot doctor. Ok - its 3:42, lets go!"

Arizona didn't bother to put away all of the make up and accessories. There wasn't enough time. She ran over to the door and opened it, motioning for April to go through it. April took her cue and started walking out the door, with Arizona right behind her. The women took the stairs to the lobby to save time as they were running just a few minutes late. When they reached the lobby, Arizona whispered in April's ear "Just play it cool. I will keep an eye on McBeautiful to see if I can get a vibe from him." April shook her head and took a deep breath.

"Doctor Kepner, there you are, just in time." Catherine directly April to where she was to be during the check presentation. April saw lots of people from the hospital's administration department and many people in suits she didn't know. She assumed many of those people were from the Seahawks foundation. She continued to scan the crowd - but saw no sign of Jack or Ben. She wasn't paying that much attention to what the person in charge of the ceremony was saying to her. She was so nervous about the whole thing she was just concentrating on not falling over.

Suddenly she saw a ruckus at the main doors. The large men who had been in Ben's room the day he was discharged came through the door. April remembered Jack had said those guy were his offensive line. Right behind them came Jack, Ben and a little girl, April assumed was Ben's sister. April searched the crowd for Arizona. Arizona caught April's eye and smiled a confident smile at April. "You've got this" she mouthed to April.


	8. Chapter 8

Catherine did not disappoint. She made a big deal about the renaming of the ER. There were tv cameras, reporters, photographers and lots and lots of people. How Catherine managed to pull this together in such a short amount of time was beyond April. However, Catherine had a way about making the impossible, possible.

The Grey Sloan people were told to stand on the right side of the podium, while the people representing the Seahawks foundation were on the left. There was a big debate going on as to where the mascot should stand and if the big bird should be part of the official check presentation. April was told by a woman from the hospital marketing department that when the check was presented, she and Catherine would be accepting it on behalf of the hospital. April nodded her head in understanding, even though she didn't understand this whole thing at all.

Out in the gathering that had formed in the lobby, she saw Arizona still checking everything out on her behalf. She also saw Jack and his kids along with the offensive line guys making their way up to the makeshift stage that had been set up. April was trying to look in any direction but Jack's, but she kept catching herself staring at his direction. After a few minutes of trying to look busy and making small talk with the hospital PR girl, April caught Jack's glance. He smiled and waved at her before bending down to whisper in Ben's ear. Jack pointed out April to Ben and the little boy started waiving furiously at April. She waived back at both of them - too far away and too close to the presentation to risk moving from her designated spot. Ben was carrying a small gift bag, April assumed was for her given the text she had received from Jack earlier that morning.

The press conference went smoothly. Jack got up and said a few words, thanking the doctors at Grey Sloan and specifically April, for saving his son's life. They posed for lots of photos, and April did a few interviews with the local news stations. If you would have told April this morning that she was going to be on the news tonight, she would have told you you were crazy.

The press conference turned into a cocktail hour and the drinks were flowing. April could hear Catherine's cackling laugh over the crowd and jazz band that had been brought in to set the mood. Clearly, Catherine was happy with how things went.

Once April was done with her interviews, she surveyed the crowd to see if Arizona was still there. She spotted Arizona hanging out at the bar with what looked like more Seattle Seahawks. Just as she was about to head that way, she heard Ben calling her name.

"Doctor April, Doctor April!" The little boy came running towards April and once he reached her, gave her a big hug. Jack and Ben's sister were close behind.

"Hi Ben! I am so happy to see you. Its looks like you are feeling much better."

"April, this is my daughter Lauren. Lauren, this is the doctor that took such good care of Ben while he was in the hospital."

April held out her hand to shake Lauren's hand. "Its nice to meet you Lauren. I bet you are glad to have your little brother back home."

"Well, mostly," Lauren signed. "I would like him a lot better if he stop using my American Girl dolls as practice for his nerf guns."

"Ah, siblings," April laughed. "Lauren, I had three sisters growing up. I totally get it."

"Doctor April!" Ben yelled! "I made this for you!" Ben shoved the gift bag he was carrying towards April.

"Ben, thank you so much," April told the little boy as she gave him a big hug. "I am just glad you are feeling better."

"Open it!" Ben demanded.

April opened the gift bag and gently pulled out the tissue paper. Inside the bag was a piece of paper with a drawing on it. As April looked at the paper, she could see a picture of a little boy sitting on a bed next to a bear.

"That is me on the hospital bed with the bear you gave me. I sleep with him overnight!" Ben said jumping up and down in excitement.

The little boy's drawing brought tears to April's eyes. Ben was a very good artist for a four year old.

"Oh Ben, I love the picture you made for me. If its ok with you, I would like to put this on my refrigerator door at home. I will think of you everyday." April said as she gave Ben another hug.

Just then an older couple walked over to them. April recognized them as Ben's grandparents from all of the the times they visited Ben in the hospital.

"Judy and Tom, you remember Doctor April Kepner. She was the surgeon that operated on Ben. April, this is Tom and Judy Davis. They are my in-laws and the kids grandparents."

"Its nice to meet you dear. I know Jack has thanked you and you maybe tired of hearing it - but thank you for taking such good care of our Benny Boy. Its so nice to have him up and around again," said Judy.

"Its nice to meet you too and you are welcome," April said as she shook both of their hands.

"Mimi and Papa, can we go to the movies now?" Lauren asked her grandparents.

"If your dad says its ok," Tom responded picking up Ben.

"Who am I to get in the way of you and the movies," Jack said, tickling Ben. He gave Lauren and Ben hugs. "Don't let Mimi and Papa feed you too much candy."

"We will!" Lauren and Ben answered in unison.

Judy and Tom each held hands with one of the children and led them on the way out the door.

"They seem nice," April said, still looking at the kids as they left.

"They are. They have been amazing. When McClain got sick, they packed up their lives, sold their house and moved to Seattle to be here to help us. Judy took such amazing care of McClain. I was worried about her for a long time after McClain died. She was their only child. I asked them to stay here in Seattle so they could be close to the kids. Lauren and Ben are all they have. During the season when I have away games, the kids go and stay with them or my parents who also live here. I try to keep them all as involved as possible. And, well, I need the help," Jack said smiling.

"That's wonderful Jack. I miss my family. They drive me nuts," April said chuckling, "But I do miss them."

"Do you get to see them often?" Jack asked.

"Not as often as I would like. Jackson has been great about allowing me to take Harriet for a week at a time out to visit them in Ohio a couple of times a year. And my parents come here to visit. But I have three sisters who each have a menagerie of kids. I wish they were closer so Harriet could grow up with them."

"Do you ever think of moving back to Ohio?

"I do, well, I did. Before Harriet and when things were going bad with Jackson. But now that we have her, we need to stay in the same city. Jackson's family owns the hospital and he is the chairman of the board here at Grey Sloan, so he isn't going anywhere. Which means, I am not going anywhere either. Seattle is home."

Jack looked at April confused, "Jackson, the plastic surgeon? That is your ex?"

"Yup," April answered just as Catherine let out another round of laughing. "And that lady with the ear piercing laugh, is my former mother in law."

"That has got to be awkward. Working with your ex and your ex mother in law." Jack chuckled.

April sighed, "It has its moments. But Catherine is great. She has really taken me under her wing and given me lots of opportunities. She can be a little domineering sometimes, but she has a good heart."

"April, it appears were are the only people here without a drink in our hands. Can I get you something at the bar?" Jack asked.

"Ah, sure. I white wine would be great."

"I will be right back." Jack smiled at April and headed toward the bar.

About a second after April turned her back, Arizona popped up behind her. "So, how is it going?" Arizona asked.

"Oh my god, where did you come from?" April asked.

"I was waiting for a chance to talk to you, but I didn't want to pull you away from Jack," Arizona said, winking at April. "He is standing at the bar, so I am assuming he is getting you a drink?"

"He is." April said. "We are just talking."

"Why don't you ask him out for a drink? This should be wrapping up in about an half an hour. Maybe ask him if he wants to grab dinner."

"I can't. I have Harriet and I need to pick her up in about 20 minutes." April told Arizona.

"No you don't dear. I can take care of my granddaughter," Catherine said cutting in on their conversation."

"Oh, hi Catherine. That is really sweet of you, but its completely not necessarily," April said, dismissing Catherine.

"It is necessary. I need to spend some quality time with my only grandchild and you need to spend some quality time with that fine piece of man you have been talking to."

"Catherine!" April yelled in a whisper getting flustered. "I can't believe you just said that."

"Oh sweetheart, relax. I saw they way he was looking at you. That man is interested in you and you need to take advantage of that. I know you are not getting laid… you are all uptight again like you were back before my son…" Catherine cleared her throat. Apparently the subject of Jackson and April having sex is the one topic she doesn't care to talk about. "Back before when you were a virgin."

"Oh my god," April said, looking up at the ceiling, certain she was turning fifty shades of red.

"April, you need to listen to Catherine. You don't know what you have been missing," Arizona chimed in.

"I have to say goodbye to a few people and then I am going to head upstairs and pick up my granddaughter. You, missy, need to ask that man out to dinner," Catherine whispered that last part as Jack was coming back towards them with April's drink.

"Hello Mr. Smith," Catherine said. "I see you have brought my daughter in law a drink. It seems her evening is now free and she was just telling me how hungry she is. I have reservations at the Reflectory restaurant down the street for 7pm. Richard and I were planning on going but something popped up and we can't go. Would be a shame to waste those reservation as they are hard to come by. Why don't the two of you head down there now. April, feel free to charge the dinner to my account," and with that Catherine went on her way.

Arizona was smiling from ear to ear, and April was now one hundred shades of red and looked as flustered as Arizona had ever seen her.

"Well kids, I have a lovely lady waiting for me. I will see you too later," Arizona said, leaving April and Jack alone.

April took a big gulp of her wine, clearly uncomfortable with what had just transpired.

Jack was relaxed, holding his bottle of beer, smiling at April.

"You don't have to go to dinner with me, April said. My ex mother in law means well. She really does, but she a meddler. I am sure you have other plans." April stammered.

"Actually, I don't," Jack said smiling. "The kids are with Judy and Tom for the night, so I was going to hit a drive through and watch a baseball game."

"Oh, ok. Well, do you want to go?" April said. Her brain still trying to catch up with what exactly was happening.

"I thought you would never ask," Jack said, winking at April.

April laughed at the wink, as did Jack. She was a combination of excited, nervous and freaked out, while Jack was a cool as a cucumber.

"Shall we?" Jack asked. He outstretched his arm, inviting April to put her arm through his.

She put her arm through is and they started to head out.


	9. Chapter 9

Thanks so much for your kind feedback :). While I will always ship Japril - there hasn't been a happy ending for any ship on Grey's. This alternative world for April has been a lot of fun to live in. This is my first multi chapter fan fiction - so Wish me luck! Oh and yes, I figured it out too late into the story that Jackson and Jack are similar. Lol. Oh well! We will just go with it! Enjoy!

They were in Jack's very amazing and very expensive Mercedes SUV, some model April had never even heard of. On the way out, Jack had suggested they go somewhere more relaxed than the fancy restaurant Catherine had in mind for them. April decided to change into her regular clothes before they left - assuming the black dress she was wearing was too dressy for whatever Jack had in mind. He wouldn't tell her where they were going, only that she would just have to roll with it.

And so April rolled with it. She was sitting in his car, nervous as she could be. She had no idea if this was an official date - or if Jack thought of it as a date. If only April were able to roll with things, she thought, her life would be way easier. As she ran through a thousand ideas of where they could be heading - she was shocked to see Jack turn the car into a bowling alley.

"Is this ok?" Jack asked. "They have great food and I thought it would be fun."

"This is great!" April said, little to excitedly. Her response was so loud it Jack about jumped out of his seat.

"I am sorry. That was really loud. Its just been a long day. Bowling sound great. But I have to warn you, its been years since I have been."

"No worries. I will teach you. I am a pretty good bowler," Jack said as he got out of the car.

April opened her door to get out too. "I am sure you are good at a lot of things." April felt her face turn red realizing the innuendo in her statement. "I mean - you are a professional athlete. I imagine there isn't a sport you aren't good at." April clarified.

"Tennis. I am a horrible at tennis," Jack joked.

April looked at him as they were walking in laughing. His easy going manner and smile were starting to put her at ease. They walked in, got their bowling shoes, and a lane. After they got settled in their lane, a waitress came over and took their drink order. April noticed a lot of people were staring at them, probably recognizing Jack. She even saw a couple of people pull out their phones and take a few pictures of Jack putting on his bowling shoes.

"Is it always like this for you?" April asked as she tied her shoes.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked.

"All the whispers and the stares. I saw one lady about pass out as you walked by," April chuckled.

"Oh, yeah. To be honest, I don't even notice it anymore. People will come up and ask for an autograph sometimes. Its not a big deal, especially now in the off season. But once the season starts and if we are doing well, it does get a little overwhelming. So. Do you need any tips or help?" Jack asked as he stood up from putting on his shoes.

April smiled at him. "I think I do. Like I said, its been years… maybe high school since I bowled. So tell me professional athlete Mr. Smith - what is your best advice to help me kick your ass tonight."

"Wow!" Jack laughed. "A little competitive, are we Doctor Kepner.?"

April started laughing. "Oh you have no idea just how deep my competitive streak runs."

They were both laughing by the time the waitress came back with a pitcher of beer. April poured them both a glass.

"So, Doctor Kepner - lets make this interesting. Do you care to put a little wager on this game?" Jack said taking a drink of his beer.

"Oh geez," April said sarcastically. "There is no way I can beat you, Mr. Professional Athlete."

"I will give you 20 points. Lets see…. The winner gets to pick the location for our next date and the loser gets to pay."

April looked up from her beer, a little shocked that Jack had just called this a date. She took a moment to collect herself, hoping Jack didn't notice.

"CHeers," April said holding up her glass. Jack clinked her glass with his and they both took a drink out of their beers. "Its a bet," April said.

"So seriously," April began. "I am terrible. Do you have any suggestions on helping my game?"

"Sure. Grab your ball and lets get started."

April did as Jack told her. She selected a ten pound ball and stood with her feet together in front of their lane, fumbling with which holes to put her fingers in."

"Here, let me help. Put your thumb in this hole and your first two fingers in these holes," he showed her. Jack was standing closely beside her, helping April get her ball placement figured out.

"Ok, now that you are holding your ball correctly, you need to work on your stance." Jack moved to stand behind April. He put his hand on her waist, continuing to direct her as to the proper way to bowl. He could have been teaching her how to throw a football at that point. Once he placed his hangs on her sides, she literally felt every thought she had in her brain fly out the window. His hands touch her awoke feelings April had buried long ago. She had told herself since that night in Montana, that this part of her life was over. At least for a long time. She had shut down her need for intimacy. But being this close to Jack brought all of those feelings to the surface. His head was to her left and she looked up over her shoulder to see him talking. Wow. He had beautiful eyes…

"So you want your feet, slightly apart and you take three steps. As you step you start pulling back your arm to get ready to release the ball." As he said that, his left hand moved from April's waist to her arm, gently pulling it back as if she were going to bowl. April was trying to focus on what he was saying, but she was just praying to God she didn't drop the bowling ball on his foot.

"So, What do you think. Do you want to give it a try?" Jack ask April in a bit of a whisper as he looked in her eyes. He let go of her arm and put his hands on her shoulders. April wondered if he was feeling it too. She thought the look in his eyes looked like he was interested, but April reminded herself how terrible she was at this stuff. She couldn't be certain, so she decided to concentrate on bowling - and not on Jack's eyes.

"I do." April said - not sure if she was talking about bowling or a relationship with Jack.

"Great," Jack said as he slowly backed away from April. "Lets see what you got."

April lined herself up, trying to concentrate on everything Jack just told her. "Do they have bumpers?" April asked Jack. "I will do much better with bumpers," she joked.

"April, you will be fine. Just take your time. I promise you will get the hang of it." Jack said as he took another drink of beer.

As she turned to get ready, she was wondering if Jack was checking out her assets. She was glad she picked these jeans to wear his morning. Arizona helped her pick them up a couple of weeks ago. Arizona complained that April wore "mom jeans" and made her try on these tight sexy jeans. They were ridiculously expensive - but April was glad right about now that she had allowed Arizona to talk her into them.

"Ok," April said. "Here we go."

She went through all of the steps and released the ball. She wasn't surprised when she got a strike. She turned around and looked at Jack who was dumbfounded that April had gotten a strike on her first try.

April winked at him "See, I told you I have a competitive streak."

"You are a ringer!" Jack laughed standing up. "You totally had me going that you had no idea how to bowl!"

"And I got twenty points," April said laughing. "You are bowling with the captain of the Moline High School championship bowling team." April laughed.

"No way! You were the captain of the bowling team?" Jack asked.

"Well, we all can't be the cool captain of the football team," April joked back.

Jack walked up to her and put both hands on her waist as they both looked into each others eyes. Jack closed the distance between them by giving April a quick kiss on the cheek. "You are cute when you think you are about to kick my ass." Jack laughed. He walked away from April and headed to grab a ball.

"No pressure, Mr. Professional athlete," April yelled at him from her seat. "There are just a couple of your adoring fans taking pictures of your cute butt as you line up." April said laughing.

Jack looked around and sure enough, he saw a couple of people with their phones out recording him as he got ready to bowl. He started laughing.

"Shut it Doctor Kepner he said," looking over his shoulder giving her a wink.

Jack lined up to bowl, taking his time and the advice he had given April. He took a step and pulled back his arm, releasing the ball into the lane. April got up to go and stand next to him as they watched the ball go down the lane.

"I think you got it, I think you got it, " April started doing play by play of the balls movements to Jack. "Oh no! The ball took a last minute turn to the left and Mr. Professional athlete splits the pins." April said laughing.

Jack was laughing at her play by play of his bowling. "Did I say I sucked at tennis? I meant bowling!" He joked. "I suck at bowling."

They got a good laugh out of Jack's split. He bowled his next ball and was able to get the spare. April promised no more chanting, if he bought her a pizza.

April couldn't believe how much fun they were having. The laughed, drank beer, ate pizza and talked a lot of smack to each other. It was all in good fun though.

After about an hour of bowling, it was clear April was going to lose by a couple of pins, but since Jack had given her twenty pins in their bet - she would win the bet.

"So - winner, winner, chicken dinner - where do you want me to take you for our next date. Assuming you are willing to go out with a lousy bowler," Jack joked. April was sitting on the bench taking her bowling shoes off. Jack came and sat beside her.

"Hmmm… I will have to think about it." April said, realizing he may think she was trying to decide whether or not to go our with her again. "About the location. But I would love to go out with you again." April smiled looking at him.

Jack's hand moved up to April's cheek and he brushed it with his thumb. "Good. Me too." He said. As he looked in April's eyes, he moved closer to her as his eyes dropped down to her lips. April couldn't believe this was happening.

Slowly, Jack closed the distance between them and lightly kissed April on the lips. She kissed him back, enjoying the feeling of being so close to him. It was an amazing first kiss. April already knew from that first kiss that he was very good at it. She thought she could kiss him all day, but remembered they were at a bowling alley. They both slowly pulled away, looking into each others eyes.

"So, we should probably get going," Jack said. "I think they have a wait for the lane. Do you want to stop and grab a drink at the bar before we go?"

"That sounds great".

Jack got up first, extending his hand to April to help her get up. He laced his fingers through hers as the held hands on the way to the bar. They picked two seats next to each other and talked for the next two hours. They only had a couple of drinks because Jack was driving and switched to water after a beer or two.

It was about ten o'clock when they decided to call it a night. April had an early morning surgery and Jack had to report to offseason workouts in the morning.

Jack drove April back to the hospital so she could get her car. He drove into the parking garage as April directed so he could drop her off next to her car. She had told him to drop her off at the main entrance and she could just walk - but he told her he wanted to make sure she got to her car safely. There was a spot next to April's car, so he pulled in and put the car in park.

"I had a great time tonight Jack. Thank you so much."

"Me too, April."

They both tentatively leaned closer to each other. A piece of April's hair fell forward into her eyes. Jack reached up, tucking the piece of hair behind her ear. Jack again put his hand on April's cheek caressing it briefly before they shared another kiss. This one, lasting longer than the one at the bowling alley, but just as amazing. April parted her lips slightly, allowing Jack to explore her mouth with his tongue. She swore she heard him lightly moan during the kiss- but she wasn't all that convinced that it wasn't her making that amazing sound. After a few minutes of kissing, they both slowly pulled apart.

"I should go." April said slightly out of breath, her lips swollen from the kiss. "Before we are the talk of the hospital tomorrow morning, " she joked.

"Is it ok if I call you tomorrow?" Jack asked.

"Yes, of course," April smiled. "I have surgery in the morning, an I never know what kind of day the ER brings. But if I can't answer, I will call you back."

"Sounds good. Drive safely. Text me and let me know you made it home ok."

"I will," April said as she got of the car.

Jack watched her as she made her way to her car. Once she was in, he motioned for her to go first. He followed her out of the garage. April turned left once she reached the exit. She noticed Jack turned left behind her. She couldn't wipe the smile off her face the whole way home. They had an amazing night - and he thought it was a date too. And he was calling tomorrow. He is so cute. And sweet and amazing…. April brought herself back down to reality, thinking she should probably call Arizona and let her know how the night went. But April wasn't wiling to share just yet. She wanted to keep this night to herself for now.

When she got home, she texted Jack to let him know she had made it home safely. He texted her back with a thumbs up emoji - followed by a "good night - talk to you tomorrow."

April went to bed that night on cloud nine.

The next morning, April woke up to her phone buzzing frantically. She looked at the clock on her nightstand. 6am. She wasn't on the schedule for the day, although she planned on going to work on her new protocols and get Harriet from the daycare at the end of the day. It couldn't be work.

She reached over and grabbed her phone to see several missed calls from Arizona. She didn't leave any messages, but she did text April. April opened the text on her phone and found a picture with the words, "Is This YOU?!" Under the photo. April focused in the on the photo and she was shocked to see it was of her and Ben at the bowling alley the night before. April's back was to the camera, so you couldn't see her face, but you could see Ben's. The photo was taken when Ben had leaned down to kiss April's cheek.

April immediately dialed Arizona's number. Arizona picked up on the 2nd ring.

"Is that you? April, I have been trying to get a hold of you for like an hour."

"I was sleeping." April said.

Arizona interrupted April before she could say anything else, "So is that you with Ben last night? How did you end up at a bowling alley?"

"How did you get the photo?" April wanted to know.

"Its all over my Facebook feed this morning," Arizona said. "I was doing the walk of shame this morning back to my apartment and happened to check my Facebook feed. And there you are! All over it! Apparently someone took your photo last night and sold it to some tabloid website. The headline was "Handsome Quarterback Off the Market?"

"Oh my God." Said April. By this time she was out of bed and pacing in her bedroom.

"So it is you!" April thought that if it were possible to jump through the phone, Arizona would do it right about now.

"Yes, Arizona, its me. We decided not to go to that restaurant Catherine suggested and to do something else. He took me bowling."

"And…." Arizona said.

"And what?" April said.

"Did you score a touchdown with the quarterback?" Chuckled Arizona.

"Oh geez, Arizona. You know me better than that. We went bowling, we had a great time. We did kiss. Twice. But that's it. He drove me back to the hospital so I could get my car and we both went home. Alone."

"Ok, so not a touchdown. But definitely a first down." Arizona surmised.

"What the hell is a 1st down?" April questioned.

"You are dating a pro-quarterback and you don't even know what a 1st down is? Kepner, we have a lot of work to do."

"Arizona, its fine. We had a good time, and I think we are going to do it again. He said he would call me today. Wait. Did they say anything in the article about me? Do they know who I am?"

"No, not yet. Just google Jack's name and I am sure the article will pop up. I gotta run to surgery - but lunch today?"

"Yes, I will be in later. Text me when you can meet in the cafeteria."

"Sounds good. Oh- and April?"

"Yes."

"I am soooo excited for you!"

And with that Arizona hung up the phone.

April did as Arizona suggested and googled Jack's name. Sure enough, the article popped up on a gossip site. April read it outloud to herself.

"Handsome Quarterback off the Market? Single women across the state of Washington could be heard crying as it looks like Jack Smith is attached. He was spotted last night at a Seattle bowling alley with a redhead. The two looked to be very cozy. No word as to who the lovey lady is. You may recall, Smith was previously married but lost his wife to a brain tumor about two years ago. In the last year, he has made numerous lists as the most eligible bachelor out there, including People Magazine. But it looks like his bachelor days are over."

April sat down on her bed after she finished reading. She had to remind herself to take deep breathes. She looked closely at the picture. She supposed that only Arizona could make her out as the woman in the photo and only because she knew April was out with Jack. The photo literally was just the back of her head.

Just then her phone rang again. It was Jack.

"Hey," April said when she answered the phone.

"Good morning. I am sorry to call so early. I am on my way to the stadium, but I got a few texts about an article about me…"

"And me," April chimed in giggling nervously.

"How did you find out about it?" Jack asked.

"Arizona. But she only knew it was me because she knew we were out together last night."

"Well, you are right. they don't know its you. But I wanted to give you a heads up. I am so sorry. It didn't even occur to me that anyone would care who I dated. I guess we will need to be a bit more careful."

"No worries, Its not your fault. Although, I had no idea of your most eligible bachelor status." April joked.

"The guys in the locker room make fun of me for that. But, I haven't gone out with anyone since McClain and well, we met in high school so I have never dated in the public eye before. I guess I was a bit naive."

"Its not a big deal," April wasn't sure if she was reassuring Jack or herself.

"Well, it could be. If this becomes a thing where they are trying to hunt down the woman in the photo - it could get intense for you."

"Intense?" April questioned.

"Reporters and photographers may start following you, if they figure it out."

"But we have been on one date. Two if you count Joe's." April protested.

"I know. Look, I will talk to the PR people on the team and see if they can make it go away. I have to run, but I will call you later today and let you know what I find out. In the meantime, don't worry about it, ok?"

"Ok."

"April, I am so sorry."

"Jack please don't worry about it. I am a big girl. I am also still trying to figure out where we should go on our next date. I am thinking maybe a cave in the ocean?" April laughed.

Jack started laughing at April's comment. "I am sure we will figure it out. I am sorry, I have to go before the coach kicks my ass. I will call you tonight."

"Sounds good." April hung up the phone and sighed.

She started getting ready for work. In all the hubbub over the story about them, April had nearly forgotten about the amazing night she had with Jack. And those kisses. She could melt into the floor they were so amazing. Not that she had a lot to compare them too. All the men she had kissed, she would consider good kissers. But something about those first kisses. When you are just getting to know the other person. When it doesn't lead anywhere but to more kissing. Those first kisses were everything and she was beyond giddy too see just where this thing with Jack was going.

April got to work after doing some errands. Since she was just doing some behind the scenes work today, it didn't really matter when she arrived or left. She assumed that if the ER got busy, she would get called into action. But she was hoping that wouldn't be the case. She really wanted to nail down this new patient protocol. The sooner she got it done, the sooner they could test it and use it in the ER.

April's day went smoothly. She was able to work on her project, she had lunch with Arizona and picked up Harriet from daycare early. Jackson's days start tomorrow so she wanted to spend some time with Harriet before she went to her father's. Since she had a long stretch with Harriet, Jackson would get one too. It would be five long days without her nugget.

April got so wrapped up in her own day, she completely forgot about the photo until she got home and checked her Facebook feed. Several of Facebook friends had shared the photo, many with comments about how sad they were that Jack was "off the market." It seemed the story was picking up steam, with national publications now questioning who the mystery woman was. People Magazine had picked up the photo too.

Harriet was happily playing in her corner spot, while April started to putz around in the kitchen, trying to decide what to make for dinner. Her mom had called and asked her what was new. A lot was new, but April knew if she said anything to her mom, she wouldn't get off the phone until midnight Seattle time. Once she told her mom, her mom would tell her sisters. April didn't feel like spending the night with the phone attached to her ear.

When she hung up with her mom, her phone beeped that she had missed a call. She had no idea why the call didn't show up in call waiting. She looked at her missed calls and noticed she had missed a call from Jack. She poured herself a glass of wine and hit the "return call" button on her phone. He picked up on the second ring.

"Hey there," he answered.

"Hi yourself. I am sorry I missed your call. I was on the phone with my Mom. She was catching me up on my pigs," April said with a chuckle.

"Pigs?"

"Yes, my parents have a farm and all of us had to help on the farm. I was good at taking care of the pigs, so my mom refers to me as the pig whisperer. Oh my God, I can't believe I just told you that." April was instantly nervous talking to Jack, and when she was nervous, she rambled.

"Don't worry. I won't judge you on your affinity for swine," Jack joked. "I am just on my way home from practice. But I did get a chance to talk with the PR people. They said they got a slew of calls today about the photo. Apparently the person who took it made $50,000 by selling it to TMZ."

"No way!" April interjected.

"Yeah, crazy, isn't it? Anyways, they just told me we should just keep a low profile. No more public dates, until we are willing to go public. So, we will just have to get creative."

" You know, I thought about it today, and I don't really care if people know it was me," April said.

"April, you do care. If anyone finds out that its you, then your life might change a lot. Think photographers at your door when you go to work, following you, pretending to be patients at the hospital just to get to you. I know it sounds crazy - but lets just lay low for right now until it blows over. I want to spend some time with you, without worrying about the rest of the world. Does that make sense?"

"Its very sweet that you are worried about me. Ok - whatever you say." April sighed. "Well, I don't have Harriet this weekend. Would you like to come over for dinner? I can cook. Its not very exciting, but pretty low key."

"That sounds great. Thank you for understanding, April. I promise, its just for a little while,"

They talked on the phone for about an hour, trading stories about their day. He listened intently to April talk about her work and asked very good questions. April thought he was genuinely interested in all her ramblings, even more so than Jackson was and he was in medicine. She listened to his excitement about working with the new wide receiver the team had signed in the off season. They hung up only when Lauren and Ben got home from a day at the pool. They set their plans for Saturday and said goodbye.

April spent the rest of the evening playing with Harriet in the backyard. They ate dinner outside and then April turned on the sprinklers for Harriet to play in. The neighbor kids came over in their swimsuits. April loved having a backyard full of kids. After popsicles and more popsicles, it was time for a bath and bed. April gave Harriett lots of hugs and kisses before tucking her in for the night. She hated that she was going to miss five days of her daughter's life, but knew Jackson was a good dad to her. Its just not what she had ever wanted for her daughter.

She spent the rest of the night thinking about Jack. They had only had one date, but she couldn't believe how hard she was falling for this guy. He was just too perfect. Things in April's life hadn't worked out her way for a long time so it was tough for April to optimistic about any relationship. She told herself to slow down - and just take it one day at a time. There were a lot of things to consider. Harriet, Lauren and Ben chief among them. Should she take this risk and try a relationship with Jack? Or should she close off this part of herself again for fear of having it all again, only to watch it slip through her fingers again.

As she fell asleep, April found herself thinking about those amazing kisses with Jack. There was something there. And she wanted to see where it led. She just prayed her heart didn't get broken again.


	10. Chapter 10

The next morning, April woke up to her phone buzzing frantically. She looked at the clock on her nightstand. 6am. She wasn't on the schedule for the day, although she planned on going to work on her new protocols and get Harriet from the daycare at the end of the day. It couldn't be work.

She reached over and grabbed her phone to see several missed calls from Arizona. She didn't leave any messages, but she did text April. April opened the text on her phone and found a picture with the words, "Is This YOU?!" Under the photo. April focused in the on the photo and she was shocked to see it was of her and Ben at the bowling alley the night before. April's back was to the camera, so you couldn't see her face, but you could see Ben's. The photo was taken when Ben had leaned down to kiss April's cheek.

April immediately dialed Arizona's number. Arizona picked up on the 2nd ring.

"Is that you? April, I have been trying to get a hold of you for like an hour."

"I was sleeping." April said.

Arizona interrupted April before she could say anything else, "So is that you with Ben last night? How did you end up at a bowling alley?"

"How did you get the photo?" April wanted to know.

"Its all over my Facebook feed this morning," Arizona said. "I was doing the walk of shame this morning back to my apartment and happened to check my Facebook feed. And there you are! All over it! Apparently someone took your photo last night and sold it to some tabloid website. The headline was "Handsome Quarterback Off the Market?"

"Oh my God." Said April. By this time she was out of bed and pacing in her bedroom.

"So it is you!" April thought that if it were possible to jump through the phone, Arizona would do it right about now.

"Yes, Arizona, its me. We decided not to go to that restaurant Catherine suggested and to do something else. He took me bowling."

"And…." Arizona said.

"And what?" April said.

"Did you score a touchdown with the quarterback?" Chuckled Arizona.

"Oh geez, Arizona. You know me better than that. We went bowling, we had a great time. We did kiss. Twice. But that's it. He drove me back to the hospital so I could get my car and we both went home. Alone."

"Ok, so not a touchdown. But definitely a first down." Arizona surmised.

"What the hell is a 1st down?" April questioned.

"You are dating a pro-quarterback and you don't even know what a 1st down is? Kepner, we have a lot of work to do."

"Arizona, its fine. We had a good time, and I think we are going to do it again. He said he would call me today. Wait. Did they say anything in the article about me? Do they know who I am?"

"No, not yet. Just google Jack's name and I am sure the article will pop up. I gotta run to surgery - but lunch today?"

"Yes, I will be in later. Text me when you can meet in the cafeteria."

"Sounds good. Oh- and April?"

"Yes."

"I am soooo excited for you!"

And with that Arizona hung up the phone.

April did as Arizona suggested and googled Jack's name. Sure enough, the article popped up on a gossip site. April read it outloud to herself.

"Handsome Quarterback off the Market? Single women across the state of Washington could be heard crying as it looks like Jack Smith is attached. He was spotted last night at a Seattle bowling alley with a redhead. The two looked to be very cozy. No word as to who the lovey lady is. You may recall, Smith was previously married but lost his wife to a brain tumor about two years ago. In the last year, he has made numerous lists as the most eligible bachelor out there, including People Magazine. But it looks like his bachelor days are over."

April sat down on her bed after she finished reading. She had to remind herself to take deep breathes. She looked closely at the picture. She supposed that only Arizona could make her out as the woman in the photo and only because she knew April was out with Jack. The photo literally was just the back of her head.

Just then her phone rang again. It was Jack.

"Hey," April said when she answered the phone.

"Good morning. I am sorry to call so early. I am on my way to the stadium, but I got a few texts about an article about me…"

"And me," April chimed in giggling nervously.

"How did you find out about it?" Jack asked.

"Arizona. But she only knew it was me because she knew we were out together last night."

"Well, you are right. they don't know its you. But I wanted to give you a heads up. I am so sorry. It didn't even occur to me that anyone would care who I dated. I guess we will need to be a bit more careful."

"No worries, Its not your fault. Although, I had no idea of your most eligible bachelor status." April joked.

"The guys in the locker room make fun of me for that. But, I haven't gone out with anyone since McClain and well, we met in high school so I have never dated in the public eye before. I guess I was a bit naive."

"Its not a big deal," April wasn't sure if she was reassuring Jack or herself.

"Well, it could be. If this becomes a thing where they are trying to hunt down the woman in the photo - it could get intense for you."

"Intense?" April questioned.

"Reporters and photographers may start following you, if they figure it out."

"But we have been on one date. Two if you count Joe's." April protested.

"I know. Look, I will talk to the PR people on the team and see if they can make it go away. I have to run, but I will call you later today and let you know what I find out. In the meantime, don't worry about it, ok?"

"Ok."

"April, I am so sorry."

"Jack please don't worry about it. I am a big girl. I am also still trying to figure out where we should go on our next date. I am thinking maybe a cave in the ocean?" April laughed.

Jack started laughing at April's comment. "I am sure we will figure it out. I am sorry, I have to go before the coach kicks my ass. I will call you tonight."

"Sounds good." April hung up the phone and sighed.

She started getting ready for work. In all the hubbub over the story about them, April had nearly forgotten about the amazing night she had with Jack. And those kisses. She could melt into the floor they were so amazing. Not that she had a lot to compare them too. All the men she had kissed, she would consider good kissers. But something about those first kisses. When you are just getting to know the other person. When it doesn't lead anywhere but to more kissing. Those first kisses were everything and she was beyond giddy too see just where this thing with Jack was going.

April got to work after doing some errands. Since she was just doing some behind the scenes work today, it didn't really matter when she arrived or left. She assumed that if the ER got busy, she would get called into action. But she was hoping that wouldn't be the case. She really wanted to nail down this new patient protocol. The sooner she got it done, the sooner they could test it and use it in the ER.

April's day went smoothly. She was able to work on her project, she had lunch with Arizona and picked up Harriet from daycare early. Jackson's days start tomorrow so she wanted to spend some time with Harriet before she went to her father's. Since she had a long stretch with Harriet, Jackson would get one too. It would be five long days without her nugget.

April got so wrapped up in her own day, she completely forgot about the photo until she got home and checked her Facebook feed. Several of Facebook friends had shared the photo, many with comments about how sad they were that Jack was "off the market." It seemed the story was picking up steam, with national publications now questioning who the mystery woman was. People Magazine had picked up the photo too.

Harriet was happily playing in her corner spot, while April started to putz around in the kitchen, trying to decide what to make for dinner. Her mom had called and asked her what was new. A lot was new, but April knew if she said anything to her mom, she wouldn't get off the phone until midnight Seattle time. Once she told her mom, her mom would tell her sisters. April didn't feel like spending the night with the phone attached to her ear.

When she hung up with her mom, her phone beeped that she had missed a call. She had no idea why the call didn't show up in call waiting. She looked at her missed calls and noticed she had missed a call from Jack. She poured herself a glass of wine and hit the "return call" button on her phone. He picked up on the second ring.

"Hey there," he answered.

"Hi yourself. I am sorry I missed your call. I was on the phone with my Mom. She was catching me up on my pigs," April said with a chuckle.

"Pigs?"

"Yes, my parents have a farm and all of us had to help on the farm. I was good at taking care of the pigs, so my mom refers to me as the pig whisperer. Oh my God, I can't believe I just told you that." April was instantly nervous talking to Jack, and when she was nervous, she rambled.

"Don't worry. I won't judge you on your affinity for swine," Jack joked. "I am just on my way home from practice. But I did get a chance to talk with the PR people. They said they got a slew of calls today about the photo. Apparently the person who took it made $50,000 by selling it to TMZ."

"No way!" April interjected.

"Yeah, crazy, isn't it? Anyways, they just told me we should just keep a low profile. No more public dates, until we are willing to go public. So, we will just have to get creative."

" You know, I thought about it today, and I don't really care if people know it was me," April said.

"April, you do care. If anyone finds out that its you, then your life might change a lot. Think photographers at your door when you go to work, following you, pretending to be patients at the hospital just to get to you. I know it sounds crazy - but lets just lay low for right now until it blows over. I want to spend some time with you, without worrying about the rest of the world. Does that make sense?"

"Its very sweet that you are worried about me. Ok - whatever you say." April sighed. "Well, I don't have Harriet this weekend. Would you like to come over for dinner? I can cook. Its not very exciting, but pretty low key."

"That sounds great. Thank you for understanding, April. I promise, its just for a little while,"

They talked on the phone for about an hour, trading stories about their day. He listened intently to April talk about her work and asked very good questions. April thought he was genuinely interested in all her ramblings, even more so than Jackson was and he was in medicine. She listened to his excitement about working with the new wide receiver the team had signed in the off season. They hung up only when Lauren and Ben got home from a day at the pool. They set their plans for Saturday and said goodbye.

April spent the rest of the evening playing with Harriet in the backyard. They ate dinner outside and then April turned on the sprinklers for Harriet to play in. The neighbor kids came over in their swimsuits. April loved having a backyard full of kids. After popsicles and more popsicles, it was time for a bath and bed. April gave Harriett lots of hugs and kisses before tucking her in for the night. She hated that she was going to miss five days of her daughter's life, but knew Jackson was a good dad to her. Its just not what she had ever wanted for her daughter.

She spent the rest of the night thinking about Jack. They had only had one date, but she couldn't believe how hard she was falling for this guy. He was just too perfect. Things in April's life hadn't worked out her way for a long time so it was tough for April to optimistic about any relationship. She told herself to slow down - and just take it one day at a time. There were a lot of things to consider. Harriet, Lauren and Ben chief among them. Should she take this risk and try a relationship with Jack? Or should she close off this part of herself again for fear of having it all again, only to watch it slip through her fingers again.

As she fell asleep, April found herself thinking about those amazing kisses with Jack. There was something there. And she wanted to see where it led. She just prayed her heart didn't get broken again.


	11. Chapter 11

The next few days were busy in the ER which made the time go by quickly. Harriet had the week with Jackson. April traded shifts with another doctor so she could work while Harriet was with Jackson and have more time with her the following week. All the extra time in the ER also helped calm April's nerves about her upcoming date with Jack. He was coming to her house and she was making dinner.

They talked on the phone for about an hour each night to see how each other's days went. Through these conversations, April found out a lot about Jack. He was always good at sports and got a scholarship to an SEC school in the south, even though he was from the Northeast. He was drafted by the Seahawks and had spent his entire career there. He had a brother and a sister, both who still lived back east with their families. His parents split time between Seattle and the East Coast but had been in Seattle more the last couple of years to help Jack with the kids, especially during the season.

April spent Saturday getting her house ready, doing some shopping and making dinner for their date. Arizona came over with some "appropriate" clothes for their date. Arizona had put April in a cute pair of shorts with wedges and a t-shirt. Not to dressy, not too casual. Probably not something April would have picked out for herself, but she did have to agree with Arizona that the shorts and wedges made her legs look long. She curled her hair and put on some light makeup to complete her look.

The NBA playoffs were in full swing and one of the final games in a competitive series was on and Jack's favorite team, the Celtics were playing. April's plan was for them to have a few drinks, eat dinner on her patio and then come inside and watch the game.

As the day went on, April found herself more and more nervous. She was creating a pro/con list in her mind about whether or not this was a good idea. Her life had been burned to the ground over the past couple of years and she was grateful that from the ashes, she had Harriet and a job she loved. Maybe that was all she was supposed to have. Maybe looking for more was just a recipe for disaster. Why in the world was she putting herself through this?

But Jack…. He was sweet, kind, a good dad, his life had been burned to the ground too. They could relate to each other. Both were trying to find happiness again after life's curve balls had left them both on their knees. April had lost her son and her marriage, Jack had lost his wife and had worked hard to build a life for his children. Maybe this was the second chance. Maybe, this was meant to be?

"Ugh" April said out loud to herself. "Stop it Kepner. Its a date. Just relax."

She turned on a pandora channel on her iPod and connected it to the speakers she had installed when she moved in. Its not something she normally cared about, but Jackson had it in their apartment and at the house they shared while raising Harriet and she had come to enjoy it.

Just then, the doorbell rang and April knew it was Jack. She took a deep breath and headed to the door.

"Hey April," Jack smiled as April motioned for him to come in. He was carrying a gym bag with him that he set on the bench in April's foyer. April closed the door behind him.

"Ah, what's with the gym bag?" April asked.

"In the spirit of keeping us under the radar," Jack responded as he unzipped his gym bag pulling out a beautiful bouquet of flowers and handing it to April.

"They are beautiful," April gushed. She couldn't remember the last time anyone had given her flowers. "Thank you so much." She put the flowers up to her face, smelling them.

"You are welcome."

April moved the flowers to one side and stood up on her tippy toes to give Jack a kiss on the cheek. He looked amazing she thought to herself. He was wearing khaki shorts with a Vineyard Vines button down shirt that was rolled up at the sleeves. He was freshly shaved and it looked like he had just gotten a hair cut too.

"Come on in." April motioned for him to follow her. "Can I get you anything to drink?"

"Beer?" Jack asked.

April walked through her living room and dining room into the kitchen. She grabbed a vase for the flowers and got them each a beer from the refrigerator, handing them to Jack along with a bottle opener so he could open them while she finished arranging the flowers.

"It smells amazing." Jack said as he popped off the tops of the beers. "As hard as I try, I am a terrible cook. The kids hate my cooking," he joked.

"Its not that hard. But I grew up helping my mom in the kitchen. All of us girls had our jobs on the farm. I drew the pigs and kitchen help." April joked.

April grabbed a beer from Jack and took a big drink. "So I figured we could eat and then watch the game. I know you are a Celtics fan." April winked at him.

"Just a little bit," he laughed. "Do you know anything about basketball?"

"More than football. Jackson is a huge basketball fan, so I learned some stuff along the way. Football, not so much." April wondered if it was weird that she brought up her ex in a conversation with the guy she was interested in. She found herself getting nervous again and busied herself in the kitchen as they continued to talk.

"We are going to have to do something about that," Jack joked. "When the season starts, I will watch a few games with you and teach you the ins and outs." Jack took a drink from his beer. "Is there anything I can help with?"

"Ah, no. I think I got it. There are some appetizers on the patio if you want to head out. I am just finishing up a few things and will be up in a few.

"Sounds good." Jack followed April's instructions and headed to the patio.

April took the few minutes alone to talk herself down again. She took a few deep breathes, trying to clear her head. She went back to plating the food she had made. She grabbed the two sides she had prepared and carried them out to the patio.

"You have a great house April. I love this neighborhood."

"Thanks. I love it to. Its not a very big house, but its perfect for Harriet and me," she said as she put the bowls on the table.

"Is there anything I can help with?"

"Actually, I have a few more things to bring out, would you mind helping?"

"Not at all," Jack said, following April back inside the house.

Once they were in the kitchen, April began putting the chicken she had prepared on a serving plate. Jack came up behind her. He put his left hand on her waist while reaching around to grab a small piece of chicken that was left in the pan.

"Mmmm… it tastes, just as good as it smells."

"Hey, not yet!" April said, surprised by Jack's sudden closeness. She had instinctively turned around to correct him and she found herself trapped between Jack and the counter.

"I told you, I haven't had a home cooked meal in a long time. I just couldn't wait," he said laughing. He grabbed a towel from the counter, wiping his hands from piece of chicken he had stolen. Throwing it back on the counter, he rested his hands on April's waist and looked into her eyes.

"The chicken is amazing. You can cook for me anytime."

"Not if you keep sneaking bites." April joked, lightly smacking him on he arm.

April found herself looking up at Jack and as their eyes met, he lowered his head closer to April. April found herself on her tip toes again, despite the 3 inches wedges she was wearing. The shared a sweet, brief kiss. Being close to Jack instantly calmed April's nerves. She had no idea how he did it. But when she was with him, she found herself forgetting about her fears, her pro/con lists and just enjoying the moment.

"Exactly how tall are you?" April asked.

"Six four in the program. But really six three and a half."

"Wow, now wonder I am on my tippy toes," April laughed.

"Wound you mind carrying the chicken out? I will grab us two more beers." April asked.

"Not a problem." Jack leaned down and gave April another quick kiss before releasing her and heading to the fridge.

They made their way outside and enjoyed a lovely dinner. The weather couldn't be more perfect on this beautiful June day and they ate as the sun set over the trees that shaded April's backyard. The conversation was light and April found herself laughing a lot. She served homemade apple cobbler with ice cream for dessert.

Once dinner was over, they took all the dishes and food back into the kitchen. April sent Jack to her living room to turn on the game while she cleaned up in the kitchen. She couldn't believe how easy the evening was, how easy it was being with and talking with Jack. They were having a lovely time together.

Once she had put the leftovers away and cleaned up, April headed over to join Jack on the couch who at that point had found the channel the Celtics game was on.

"So, do you know any of the players?" April asked as she sat down, handing Jack a new beer.

"I do," Jack said, taking the beer from April. "When you play professional sports, you tend to get to know everyone, or at least know of them."

"I imagine its a lot like doctors. You know or have heard of just about all of them. Who are good at their job, and those who are just assholes." April joked.

"Sounds about right," Jack agreed with her.

The made small talk as they watched the game, drinking beer. The more beer April, drank the less she cared about the game and the more she wanted to kiss Jack. He seemed to be still into the game, so she decided to head to the bathroom before she grabbed another beer. As she stood up, she felt two arms pull her back toward the couch. She landed, sitting in Jack's lap.

"And where do you think you are going?" Jack asked, wrapping his arms around her. God he felt good, April thought to herself.

"I was just headed to the bathroom," April responded, snaking her arms around the back of Jack's neck.

"Hmmm…. I don't think I want to let you go."

"Its just the bathroom," she joked. "Besides, you seem like you are really into the game."

"Not so much," he said as he leaned in to kiss her.

As the game played on in the background, April got lost in their kiss. After a bit, April repositioned herself, from sitting on Jack's lap, to straddling him. Jack kept grabbing fist fulls of her hair as kissed her passionately. April found her hands exploring Jack's chest and shoulders, feeling how muscular they were. She really wanted to take his shirt off. She felt Jack's hands leave her hair and exploring her torso before landing on her butt. She pulled away from the kiss, encouraging Jack so explore her neck and shoulders. She pushed herself up on her knees, giving Jack better access to her neck and chest. His hands left up butt, going up under the back of her shift, exploring her silky skin and finding their way up to her bra strap, which he began playing with. April threw her head back as Jack peppered her neck with kisses to give him better access. She lowered herself down again, desperate to kiss Jack again.

April started fumbling with the buttons on Jack's shirt, slowly unbuttoning one at a time, pulling his shirt up so she could get better access. She bent down to kiss Jack's neck and ran her hands across his chest.

"Beep, Beep, Beep." April's phone went off.

"Ugh," April screamed.

"Just let it go," Jack mumbled as he continued to kiss April.

"I can't - its the hospital. I'm not on call, but it something big happens, we all get called in."

April slowly pulled herself off of Jack to grab her phone.

Once April had her phone and was checking it, Jack got up and followed April, coming up behind her, pulling her hair to the side and continuing to kiss her neck. "Everything ok?" He asked in between kisses.

"Its actually Jackson. There was an apartment fire. Lots of burn patients, so Jackson got called in. He is on his way over to drop Harriet off."

"That means I should probably go," Jack said as he turned April around to face him.

April looked up at him. "I am so sorry, Jack. I had a great time tonight."

"Me too," he said leaning down to kiss her again. They got lost in the kiss again for a few minutes before April realized that Jackson would be there soon. He lived close by and it would only take him a few minutes to get there.

She broke away from the kiss. "You should probably button your shirt. Jackson is going to be here soon."

"I know, but I don't want to stop kissing you."

"Me neither, but we have too." April said pulling away again.

Jack button up his shirt and tucked it in. April led him to the door where he grabbed his gym bag.

"Thank you for dinner. I will call you tomorrow?"

"Yes." April said. She started opening the door for Jack to leave, only to find Jackson and Harriet standing on her doorstep.

"Oh - Hi" April said, shocked. "That was quick." April said to Jackson as she reached to grab Harriet and her bag from him.

"Yeah…" Jackson said, not really sure what to make of the situation he just walked in on.

"Oh, well, I should be going," Jack said. "Good to see you again," Jack said to Jackson.

Jack walked past Jackson to leave, as Jackson politely smiled at Jack.

"So," Jackson said awkwardly. "Um, I am not sure how long I am going to be. It sounds pretty bad. I will call you in the morning and let you know when I can get Harriet."

"No problem. Take your time. I am off tomorrow, so I can take her for the day so you can take care of your patients and get some sleep." April said.

"Great. Thanks."

April caught Jackson looking around the inside of her house. There were flowers, a couple of bottles of beer on the coffee table and a few candles that April had lit earlier. It was clear, Jackson was a bit curious as to what Jack was doing at April's house.

"Ok - so, I am gonna go. By baby girl" Jackson said, learning into kiss Harriet on the head.

"Good night April." Jackson said as he walked away.

April smiled at him as she closed the door and locked it.

"Hi nugget." She said as she squeezed Harriet close to her. I missed you. I am so glad you are home." April took Harriet up to her room and rocked her for a bit to get her to go to sleep. Once Harriet was settled, April came back downstairs and blew out the candles. She cleaned up a bit more, leaving most of the dishes for the morning.

As she turned the lights off to head up stairs, her phone beeped again. April walked over to her phone and smiled as she read the message from Jack.

"Thanks again for a great night. I will call you tomorrow. Sleep tight April."


	12. Chapter 12

April's phone dinged just after 9am. She hadn't made it to bed until after midnight and Harriet was still sleeping, so the phone woke her up. She picked up her phone to two texts. The first was from Jackson, letting her know he was still at the hospital. He was probably there for the day. He asked if he could get Harriet on Monday, which he was taking off. The second was from Arizona, saying she was on her way with coffee and danish to get the scoop on April's date.

April texted Jackson back that she was fine to keep Harriet. They had lunch planned later on in the week to go over the next month's schedule, so she assumed Jackson would make up for the days he missed with Harriet next month.

She got out of bed and threw on some sweats and put her hair in a pony tail. She checked in on Harriet who was still sleeping in her crib. Just as she started heading down the stairs, there was a knock on her door. She could see Arizona's car out of the window on the side of the door.

"Good Morning Beautiful!" Arizona said as April opened the door. "I bring coffee and danish, oh and some fruit. You bring the gossip…. So shoot. How did it go?" April followed Arizona into her kitchen where she grabbed some plates and silverware. They took everything to the dining table and started to set everything up.

"It went well," April said with a grin on her face.

"You had sex!" Arizona shouted out.

"No! Arizona! Shhh! Harriet is sleeping!"

"Harriet?" Arizona asked. "What is Harriet doing here? Wasn't it Jackson's night to have her?"

"Yes, but there was a fire and he got called in to treat burn patients. He dropped Harriet off just as Jack was leaving last night."

"Oh wow. That had to be awkward."

"No more than leaving your fiancé at the alter and running off and marrying another man." April said chuckling at herself.

"True. So Jack left after Jackson dropped off Harriet?"

"Yes, he was leaving anyway. It was late, around midnight I think."

"So - was there any sexy time?" Arizona asked.

"A little." April grinned. "Ok a lot -but it was all above the belt. I am not sure how I feel about sex. I mean, I was a virgin forever, and I have only been with Jackson. How long are we supposed to wait? I have no idea!" April said taking a sip out of her coffee.

"Oh, April, you are overthinking it. Do whatever feels right to you. You can't put up arbitrary numbers, like the 3rd date to have sex. If it feels right, just do it."

"It feels really good to be with him." April said smiling at Arizona.

"I am so excited and happy for you April. No one deserves it more than you do. Well, except for me - but I am not in a relationshipy place right now. But if that is what you want, I am so happy for you."

"Thanks Arizona. Thanks for listening to all my crazy and talking me down."

The women were interrupted by a cry.

"Ah, my little lady is up. Do you want to hang out with us today? I have no idea what we are going to do." April asked Arizona.

"Nope! You too have a great mommy/daughter day. I have a date."

"On a Sunday morning?" April asked amazed.

"Yes, a running slash walking date. I haven't told her about the fake leg yet - so not sure how much running I can handle," Arizona said, standing up from her spot at April's table. "so I am going to take off. Let me know if you hear from Jack."

"I will. Let me know how your date goes."

Arizona laughed, "I think we both know how my date is going to go." And with that Arizona was out the door.

April went and got Harriet ready for the day and cleaned up the rest of last night's dishes and this morning's breakfast. She fed Harriet and decided they should go to the late service at church and then run some errands.

After spending the rest of her weekend with Harriet, April returned the hospital with Harriet in tow early Monday morning. Jackson was going to pick Harriet up around noon from daycare and take her home. They were meeting on Wednesday to go over their schedules for the following month and figuring out who had Harriet when. It was really the only time they talked to each other these days, besides the infrequent times they worked together on a case. She had heard through the grapevine that Jackson and Maggie were spending a lot of time together. It was hard to watch the father of your child date other women. But, at the end of the day, she told herself that all she wanted for Jackson was to be happy.

She talked to Jack just about every day. Usually at night after his kids had gone to bed. He was starting to get busy with the team with mandatory work outs and conditioning. Training camp started soon and he seemed excited to get the season underway. Jack was hosting a thank you party for his offensive line and asked April to come. It was on Saturday and she wasn't certain yet, what her arrangement with Jackson was going to be given they were so off their schedule. Jack said it would be a fun night and he hoped she could make it. He explained he had made the pro bowl the following year and as a thank you for the guy who protect him, he throws a dinner party for the guys on the line and their wives. It sounded fun, but a little crazy at the same time. Jack spoke of these guys like family and she wasn't sure if she was ready to face all of that. Plus, they were still trying to keep everything hush hush. The PR person told Jack that if they go out in public, that means they are ready for people to know about them. His house wasn't out in public, but going out with other people meant more would know about them.

Her week at work was pretty run of the mill. No big trauma cases, just the usual fender benders and falls. She had lunch with Arizona on Monday, and with Owen on Tuesday to go over her protocol changes.

By the time Wednesday rolled around, April had spent some time thinking about Jackson and what he thought about walking in on her and Jack's date. She knows its hard watching the father of her child move on. April reasoned that it would be hard for a man to watch the mother of his child move on too. It was hard to guess with Jackson. He never let anyone in on his feelings. Even when they were together, there were big pieces of himself that he closed off to her - presumably the person in the world he was closest too. Now that they were done, she imagined he had shut the door on any feelings he had for. While their history was long, and tortured - she imagined that Jackson wished her well, more for the sake of Harriet than because of any left over feelings he had for her.

April arrived first for the meeting. She grabbed a sandwich at the cafeteria counter along with a soda. She had a notebook to scribble notes down in plus her phone which is where she kept most of her calendar information.

Jackson arrived soon after, carrying take out from the Chinese place across the street.

"Hey," he said as he sat down across from April.

"Hi Jackson," April responded. "How is your day going?"

"Fine, the burn unit has been super busy since that fire over the weekend. Two parents and five kids with severe burns. They didn't have a smoke detector." Jackson said, opening his take out container.

"Oh God, why are people so stupid." April took a bite out of her sandwich.

"Seriously. You have checked your smoke detectors?"

"Of course." April said, adding "and you do too I assume?"

"Yup. After seeing what that fire did to those kids, I check it daily."

April and Jackson continued eating their lunch, making small talk about the hospital and their cases.

Jackson continued. "By the way, Thank you…. For Saturday night."

"Of course. We are doctors. It happens." April responded.

"I am sorry if I interrupted your…. date? Jackson said. April wasn't sure if it was a statement or a question.

"No problem. Jack was leaving anyway. We just had dinner and watched the game."

Jackson shook his head. "So, are you two a thing? Nevermind, its none of my business."

"Jackson, it is your business. Someday we are both going to find people to be with and those people are going to be in Harriet's life. She may have a step mother and step father down the road. You absolutely should know who is in my life, and I should know who is in your life. Its just part of our situation."

"Ok." Jackson nodded. "Then, maybe we should set some ground rules as to when we introduce Harriet to people we are dating."

"Well, she isn't even two yet. She calls the mailman daddy sometimes," April joked.

"True. But I don't think either of us want her getting attached to people who aren't going to be a permanent part of her life."

"You are right. Jack and I have just been on a couple of dates. I have met his kids obviously, but I am not ready for him to spend time with Harriet. But if we get there, I will let you know."

"Thanks." Jackson said putting down his chopsticks. "I will do the same."

"So, its settled," April sighed. "Is there anyone you are seeing? You know since you know about me, its only fair that I know what is going on with you."

"No. I have been too busy with the hospital. I work whenever I don't have Harriet." April wasn't sure she believed that given the gossip mill in the hospital was filled with rumors about him and Maggie.

April changed the subject since she knew Jackson wasn't willing to tell her anything.

'Speaking of which. You have some time to make up with our daughter. How do you want to work the next month?"

Jackson and April pulled out their phones and hammered out the schedule for the next month with Harriet. Jackson got a few more days than April, but all in all, it worked out pretty well. They each got two weekends with their daughter. April mentioned that she would like to take Harriet to Ohio for a summer trip to the farm in August. Jackson was fine with it, which she was thankful for.

"Ok, well, I think we are done here," April said, cleaning up her spot and putting her phone back in the pocket of her white doctors coat.

"If you need to change anything, let me know." Jackson said as he stood up with his garbage.

"I will."

"April," Jackson called out as April turned to walk way.

"Yes, Jackson?"

"You know… I just want you to be happy. I just want all of us to be happy." Jackson stared at April for a long time.

"I know you do." April said nodding her head a bit, trying to hold back a tear. "And I know you thought the divorce would make you happy. Has it? Has throwing us away, made you happy Jackson?" April asked.

Jackson just stood there staring at April.

"I left Harriet's bag in your office. Text me if you need anything."

And with that April walked away. She headed to the attending lounge to try and pull herself together. It was moments like these that really shook April to the core. When the "what if's" swarmed her mind. What if she hadn't have gone to Jordan the first time, or the second time. What if Samuel had been ok. What if she had convinced Jackson to fight. Where would they be right now?

She believed Jackson thought divorce would lead to happiness for him. But it didn't for her. Even though they were divorced, April held on to a sliver of hope that Jackson would eventually forgive her. That raising their daughter together would show him what a great team they could be. After Montana, she was convinced of it. However, Jackson didn't budge. He used her that night because he was hurting. Because he wanted to forget about his dad. While it hurt her immensely, that last night together was what she needed to finally close the door on her relationship with Jackson.

April made it to the attending lounge and threw herself down on an overstuffed chair that backed up to a window, lost in her thoughts.

Just then Alex came in.

"Hey Kepner. I hear you and the football player are a thing. Let me know if he passes you any free tickets."

"Alex, first off, you are the last person I would give tickets to, and secondly, who told you that?"

"Jackson. Its all he could talk about while we were working on those kids from the fire. He said he thought he walked in on your the quarterback going for the touchdown."

"Ewww. Alex. You are so gross. We weren't going for the touchdown. We just had dinner. That's it."

"well, you should know whatever it is, Jackson clearly wasn't happy about it."

"He seemed just fine now," April countered. "And I am available to date anyone I want because he didn't want me."

"April, for someone who is so smart, you can be incredibly dense. Jackson has no coping skills. His dad left him and he thinks everyone is going to leave him. His dad did. You did when you went off to that hell whole in the middle east. He was afraid that if he let you back in, you would just leave him again. So he left you first. He ended it first so you couldn't leave him again."

"He told you this?" April asked.

"Of course not. He doesn't even know it yet-but any idiot watching you two stumble through life can figure it out. Look - its not my business. I am just telling you so you know. When you get serious with that football player, I think Jackson will realize that you are the one. And you have to be prepared. You have to decide now if you are going full in on this relationship with the football stud. You can not leave another guy at the alter over Jackson."

With that, Alex walked out the door leaving April dumbfounded.


	13. Chapter 13

Shortly after her talk with Alex, April got paged to the ER for a trauma patient. It was just in the nick of time too. April was overthinking everything again. She excelled at it and it rarely ever did her any good. Trauma allowed her to forget. To escape from the various thoughts in her mind and to concentrate on the patient. That is what Jordan did for her. She was drowning after Samuel died. Running off to Jordan made sense to no one, except April.

Since then, she had worked so hard to get her life back. Jackson had made it perfectly clear that he didn't want to be apart of her new life and despite hoping beyond hope, she had come to accept it. She moved on. Well, she was trying too. She had her work, her daughter, her family back in Ohio and she really liked this new relationship with Jack. He made her feel good about herself. It had been so long since being with Jackson made her feel good. Jack was a refreshing change. He got her. After hours of phone conversations and the time they spent together, she knew they were both trying to pick up the pieces of lives shattered by loss. Maybe Jack was her second chance to be happy.

The information Alex had shared with her was surprising in a way. Of course, Jackson would be interested in who she was dating. She was curious about whatever it is he is or isn't doing with Maggie. And she would be lying to herself if she said she didn't care. It was hard. And she felt for Jackson. It had to hurt to see April with Jack. But truth be told, this was all Jackson's doing. April would have never given up. Ever.

Part of being with someone was accepting every part about them, warts and all. Looking back, April had concluded that she and Jackson never accepted their differences. They overlooked them, hoping that if the tried hard enough, they wouldn't matter. They were too different to work. Relationships were expendable to Jackson. For April, they were forever.

After she finished running the trauma surgery, she went and spoke to the family of her patient. As she was headed back to the ER to finish paperwork to head home, her phone rang. It was Jack. She smiled as she hit the talk button on her.

"Hey you," April answered.

"How is your day going?" Jack asked her.

"Ah, interesting," April chuckled. "How about you?"

"Sore. ï¿½ I am getting too old for these ridiculous workouts they put me through," he joked. "But its a beautiful night, the kids and I were going to cook out and hang out at the pool. I was wondering if you might want to join us."

"Um, yeah, I would love too. I have some paperwork to wrap up but I can be done in about a half an hour."

"Great. I will text you the address. Does 6:30pm sound ok?"

"It sounds great. Can I bring anything?"

"Nope - I think we have it under control. Just bring your lovely self."

"Ok, I will see you in a bit.

April finished up at work, stopped at home and grabbed her suit just in case she was expected to get in the pool. She choose to wear a cute flowered sundress that she wore over her swim suit.

When she arrived at Jack's house, she was blown away. Huge was an understatement. She didn't think she had ever seen such a big house, let alone be invited to one. His home was in a gated community that required you to stop at a security station to announce your arrival. Once passed the gate, April followed the winding road past mansion after mansion. Jack had told her a number of the players lived in the community, so it wasn't surprising to see a few Seahawks flags along the way. When she finally arrived at Jack's house, she pulled her car up around the circular driveway to the front stairs of the house. Ben and Lauren were playing on the steps and were excited when they saw April pulling up.

Doctor April, Doctor April! You're here!" Ben came running up to April giving her a big hug as she got out of her car.

"Hi Ben and Lauren. Its so good to see you. Thank you for inviting me over for dinner."

"Come on Doctor April! Dad is in the kitchen. He is trying to cook - but he is terrible!" Lauren said pulling April's arm toward the door.

April followed the kids into the house. The foyer was huge with a round table in the middle with a huge vase of fresh flowers. To the right of the foyer was a beautiful bridal staircase that led up the stairs, with another set of stairs behind it that led down to the basement. To her left, April saw a beautiful living room. Jack came from the back, presumably where the kitchen was located.

"You are here," he said, walking up to April and giving her a kiss on the cheek. He was wearing swim trunks with a white tshirt and a kitchen towel draped over his shoulder.

"I am, and I understand just in time. The kids were filing me in on your attempts at cooking," April joked.

Jack laughed at her statement. "They are not big fans of my attempts at cooking. But I try."

"Doctor April, Dad says you are a good cook. Will you make us Macaroni and Cheese? Please?" Ben pleaded.

"It depends on what ingredients your dad has in the kitchen." April said, winking at Ben.

"Why don't you two go play out back and we will be out when dinner is ready. Remember, don't go in the pool unless an adult is outside, ok guys?"

"Got it Dad!" the kids said in unison on the way to the backyard.

Once the kids were gone, Jack grabbed April's hand and pulled her close to him. "Now, can I get a proper hello?" Jack asked as he leaned in and kissed April.

They were interrupted by a beeping coming out of the kitchen.

"Is that the smoke detector?" April asked, as she broke away from their kiss.

"Shit," Jack said, still holding April's hand and leading her to the kitchen.

When they got there, there was smoke coming from the oven. Jack opened it and big plume of black smoke came pouring out.

"What was that?" April asked, as she grabbed a towel and tried to fan away the smoke from the kitchen, hoping to stop the alarm.

"It was roasted vegetables, but apparently, I did something wrong," Jack said laughing. He carried the pan with the now blackened vegetables to the kitchen sink.

"Apparently," April said laughing. "So what else are you attempting to make here?"

"Burgers, fries, a salad and vegetables. I didn't think I could screw it up, but I did."

"Good thing I am here to help." April said as she opened up the refrigerator, surveying what she had to work with.

"Um, this might be the biggest fridge ever. This might be the biggest kitchen I have ever seen," She laughed.

"Yeah, its pretty obnoxious, isn't it? I have a housekeeper who does most of the cooking and cleaning around here, but she is off for a couple of weeks and we are on our own."

"I was going to say, who feeds you all if you can't even roast some vegetables in the oven," April teased.

"Hey now, we can't all be good cooks." Jack protested.

"You have what, a fifty million dollar arm there?" she said, running her hand up and down his right arm. "You think you can handle some chopping while I work and making the kids Mac and Cheese?"

"Whatever you say, Doctor Kepner." Jack leaned down and gave April a quick kiss before going over to the counter and opening a door to retrieve a knife. "What do you need me to do?"

"Here" April said as she started placing vegetables for a salad in front of him. "Do you think you can handle the salad?" She asked.

"I think I can do that." Jack said as he got to work on the head of lettuce.

"So, do your kids know we are seeing each other?

"They know that we have been out to dinner a few times. They really like you and were very excited that you came tonight."

"I was excited to see them too. You have two great kids."

"yeah, they are pretty special. So, tell me about your day."

"Not much to tell. We had a couple of traumas come through so I spent a lot of the day in surgery. Jackson and I sat down and went over our schedule for the next month. He has Harriet this weekend, so I can come to your dinner party, if you still want me." April dropped a package of cherry tomatoes off in front of Jack to add to the salad before she headed to the oven to turn on a burner. "Where are your pots?" She asked.

"Bottom door, next to the oven," Jack said. "That's great. And of course I still want you to come. Its a great night. I think you will have a lot of fun."

"Me too," April said smiling over at Jack.

They continued to make small talk as Jack chopped away at the vegetables and April continued working on the rest of dinner.

"So did Jackson ever say anything to you about the other night?" Jack asked.

"Um, not really. Just that we needed rules regarding when we should allow people we are dating to spend time with Harriet. He is protective of her."

"And you," Jack said, putting down his knife and walking over to April.

"What?" April said as she stopped what she was doing to look at Jack.

"I got the sense, that he wasn't really happy to see me at your house."

April didn't really know what to say to that. "We have a long, tortured history and Jackson... "April sighed. "Jackson made a choice a couple of years ago to end our marriage. I had a big role in that I know. I told you what happened and how it happened."

"I know you did, April. I just got a sense that Jackson isn't all that comfortable with the idea of his ex-wife moving on. That is all I am saying."

April put down her knife and walked over to Jack who at this point was leaning with his back against the counter. Facing him, April continued, "Jack, things have been over between me and Jackson for a long time. But its a fact that he will always be a part of my life. We share a daughter and we work together." April reached her arms around Jack's waist. "I want to be here, with you. I really like you Jack and I have enjoyed spending time with you."

"Me too," Jack said brushing a piece of hair out of April's eyes and tucking it behind her ear. He leaned down to kiss April.

Just then the buzzer on the oven went off, signaling it was time to start putting food into the oven.

"I will finish up in here, why don't you take the burgers outside and get them started on the grill." April said as she grabbed the baking dish with the vegetables and put it in the oven.

"Sounds good." Jack grabbed the raw burgers, the buns and the clean plates and took them outside.

Shortly after she got everything in the oven, April decided to head out to the see the backyard. She followed the path she saw Jack and kids take but took a wrong turn and ended up in what she assumed was Jack's office. There were lots of pictures of the kids and one of Jack and his kids with a woman. April assumed it was McClain. She was smiling and holding Ben in the picture, while Jack had Lauren up on his shoulders. They looked like the perfect family. McClain looked nothing like April, she was blonde, tall and thin, but muscular. Jack had mentioned she ran marathons a couple of times a year.

April decided she had better figure out where she was going and continued through the house trying to find her way. She made it back to the kitchen just in time to put the pasta in the boiling water for the Mac and Cheese the kids requested. Once she did that, she ventured out to try and find the backyard again and this time was successful. There was a beautiful stone patio that featured a full outdoor kitchen. Jack was grilling the burgers over a brick fire pit, while the kids played in the pool. To the left of the pool was a hot tub and beside it, a separate pool house full of towels, floats and kids toys for the pool. It was like something out of a magazine.

"How are the burgers coming," April asked as she came up beside Jack.

"Good. Well, I don't think I have messed them up... yet." Jack joked.

"Thanks for having me over. This certainly beats the take out and medical journal reading I had planned for the evening."

"I am glad you are here, April." Jack leaned down and kissed April. As he pulled away, he continued. "So - How good of a swimmer are you?"

"Ummm... I am ok. I imagine you are an amazing swimmer."

"I can hold my own. After dinner we will have to see just how competitive you are and if you can beat me."

April laughed out loud, "You will have to give me a length of the pool head start. But before we do that, I have to finish dinner in the kitchen. I will be back."

April finished cooking in the kitchen and started bring the finished dishes out to the patio table. Jack was finished with the burgers and went to the kitchen to get the rest of what April couldn't carry.

They had a fun meal, poolside. The kids asked April lots of questions about being a doctor and April asked them lots of questions about what they were doing this summer. There were plans for trips with the grandparents and camps - since Jack was back to daily workouts and training with the team.

After dinner, they had cannonball contests in the pool, races and played a couple fun games of Marco Polo. Jack and April got out of the pool after awhile and Jack got them each a beer from the outside fridge. The sun was about to set and there was a great view to the side of the pool. They sat down and drank their beers and chatted while the kids continued to play. Jack gave the kids a five minute warning, which elicited groans and pleas for more time before they had to get out and get ready for bed. It was still hot despite the sunset. April noticed the poolside thermometer said 89 degrees. She didn't blame the kids for wanting to stay cool in the pool for as long as possible.

Once the sun set, Jack told the kids to get out of the pool and into the house for bed. Once they were inside, Jack grabbed another beer for April and led her to the hot tub.

"I will just be a few minutes getting them tucked in for the night. When I get back, I want you, in the hot tub." Jack leaned over to flip the switch to turn on the hot tub and it came to life with a whirl. He held out a hand for April to help her climb the stairs to the entrance of the hot tub.

April took his hand, " What are you up to Mr. Smith?" April said with a giggle.

"Nothing. I am just thinking some quality time with you in the hot tub could be fun." He gave April a kiss on the cheek as she passed him to get into the hot tub.

April stuck a toe in the water, and she had to admit it felt amazing. As she slid into the bubbling water, she closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation of warm water rushing over her. Jack left to put the kids to bed and April sat down on the bench inside the tub. She closed her eyes as she relaxed, putting he head back on the built in pillows along the frame. Good to his word, Jack was gone about ten minutes before he emerged from the house with two bottles of water in his hand. April heard him put the bottles of water down next to the hot tub and opened her eyes just in time to see Jack taking off his t-shirt to join her in the hot tub. She swore she could stare at him all day.

"You look so relaxed," Jack said as he slid himself into the hot tub.

"This feels amazing," April replied as Jack walked over to sit next to her in the tub. "I imagine you use this a lot after your workouts."

"I do," Jack said as he found April's hand under the water and laced his fingers through hers. "Especially after games. We have them in the locker room too, but something about sitting around with a bunch of guys in the hot tub, just isn't right." he joked.

April laughed at the thought of Jack and all of those huge men sitting around talking in a hot tub.

"I promise, I am a lot more fun than those guys." April joked.

"I don't know, some of the guys are pretty funny." Jack teased.

April gave Jack a playful shove, "Hey now. I can be a lot of fun."

"Hmm, You might have to convince me." Jack said, closing his eyes and putting his head back.

April got up from her seat and stood in front of Jack, putting her hands on his shoulders for balance as she straddled him. Jack opened his eyes with her touch to see what she was doing.

"I bet none of the guys can do this to you." April said, leaning in to place gently kisses on Jack's neck.

She lowered her hands, running her fingers lightly across Jack's chest. She heard a slight moan come out of Jack's mouth, so she assumed he was enjoying what he was doing. After a few minutes, Jack moved his hands up to April's head, pulling April up so he could kiss her. The searing kiss, literally left April breathless. Jack pulled away and started working on April's neck, leaving a trail of kisses down to her chest. He leaned her back a bit, so he could have access to her chest and cleavage area where he continued to kiss April. He moved his hands down to her waist and then ran one hand over her butt, gently grabbing it. April felt like she was on fire. Everywhere Jack touched her, felt like heaven. Jack made his way back to April's lips. As he kissed her, one of his hands traveled up to April's breast, working to pull back the material of her swim suit to expose her nipple. Once he was successful, he gently ran his finger tip over her nipple, eliciting a moan from April. Jack broke away from the kiss to shower some much needed attention to April's nipple. He first ran his tongue around the outside of it before taking it fully in his mouth and sucking on it. April could feel Jack's growing erection underneath her. As Jack continued to caress April's nipple, he started to pull at the strings behind her back to take off her bikini top. She grabbed his hand to stop him.

"Jack, your kids are inside. They can come out at anytime."

"They are heavy sleepers." he said in between kisses.

"We have to stop. I just don't feel comfortable knowing your kids could catch us."

Jack released April's nipple from his mouth and pulled himself up to look at her.

"April, we are fine. They won't come out. I promise."

Jack started kissing April again. "Kissing is fine" She said, but we need to leave our clothes on."

"Ugh, you are killing me here Kepner," He joked.

"But kissing is fun." She said

"Not as fun as other things we could be doing."

"I know, and we will, just not when your kids are upstairs."

Jack pulled away. "You are right, I know. You are just so damn hot. And I want you so much." He started kissing her neck.

"I want you too" April said, moaning as Jack continued working on her neck.

Jack made his way back to April's lips. "Ok, we should probably stop. We are getting really close to the point where I will not be able to stop myself from taking you right here."

"Oh God, that sounds amazing" April said, kissing Jack again. 

"Yeah it does, but if we are going to stop - we need to stop now."

"Ok, we should probably get out." April said, pulling herself up to standing and turning to get out of the hot tub. After she got out and grabbed a towel, she grabbed one for Jack and handed it to him as he got out. He covered himself pretty quickly, but not before April got a look at as huge hard on.

"So, I am going to go change and then go." April said, giving Jack a quick kiss before headed to the pool house to change.

When she came back, Jack had put his t-shirt back on. She walked over to Jack and leaned up to give him a kiss before hugging him. "Thank you so much for tonight. I had a great time."

"Me too."

"I have Harriet tomorrow and Friday, but I can still come to the party on Saturday. What should I wear?"

"I have no idea - but I am wearing a sports jacket. We go all out for this night. I have a party planner handling all of the details, but there is a band, flowers, a caterer... the whole ten yards..."

"Oh, so dressy?"

"How about hot, and skin tight?" Jack joked.

"I will see if I can find something." April laughed. Jack grabbed her hand as he led her though the house and out to her car. After a quick kiss goodnight, April got in her car and started the drive back home. She couldn't wipe the smile off her face.


	14. Chapter 14

In an effort to get Jackson's days with Harriet made up, April had the next two days with Harriet and the Jackson had her for four days. The next two days with Harriet went by quickly and before she knew it, it was Saturday. Jackson was picking up Harriet at around 10am. She was meeting Arizona for lunch and to get blow outs for the big night. April had talked to Jack each evening and texted during the day. He gave her the ins and outs of what to expect at the party.

Arizona was also trying to convince April to go shopping for a new dress for the event at Jack's - but so far April had held out. She had a perfectly fine dress in her closet she had only worn a couple of times. It was a black dress, short, but not too short. Arizona had seen the dress before and told April it would be fine, if she was going to church. But since April was about to be hanging out with the Seattle Seahawks and their significant others, she needed to up her game in the clothing department.

Arizona arrived promptly at 11am to pick up April and took her to a Blow Out Bar, where all they do is wash and blow out your hair into various styles. Arizona had a date that night too - so it made sense for both of them to go together. April was just going to have her hair blown out straight, but Arizona convinced her to get something called a "flirtini" blow out. The services menu described it as a blow out with big loose curls. Arizona got something called "runway ready". There was a make up artist there and April decided to splurge and get her make up done too. The woman picked out a sexy smokey eye for April complete with false eyelashes. April had to admit, that while it wasn't her normal taste, the hair and make up looked really good.

They finished at about 1pm and Arizona told April they needed to stop at this little boutique that she loved. Arizona surmised that even if April wanted to wear the dress in her closet, Arizona wanted to find a dress for the evening for her date. April had a feeling she was being set up - but she didn't mind do a little shopping and helping Arizona pick out something. Besides, she had four hours to kill before she had to leave for Jack's and she knew the time would crawl by if she was at home.

The boutique was ornately decorated inside and April assumed the prices probably matched the decor. Ornate and expensive. Arizona honed in on a sexy red dress that April thought would look good on Arizona. Before Arizona went to the fitting room, she told the sales lady about April's date for the evening with a "Special guy" and that April might be convinced to try on a dress. April rolled her eyes at Arizona, again reminding her that she had a perfectly fine dress at home. The sales lady gave April the once over and said she had the perfect dress for April and she would be right back. Within a few minutes, she was back with a black wrap around dress that looked like it was very tight and very sexy. Arizona came out in her red dress that looked amazing on her and convinced April to try the dress the woman had pulled for her. April went to the fitting room against her better judgement and put the dress on. When she turned around to look in the mirror, she had to admit, this dress looked like it was made for her. It had a cap sleeve with a deep dramatic V neck. The wrap around part cinched in her waist perfectly and the dress hugged her hips and butt in all the right ways.

"April, come on out. Let us see." Arizona called

April came out of the dressing room and walked over to the three way mirrors in the back of the changing area.

"I am by the mirrors." April yelled back.

Arizona came around the corner with another dress for herself and stopped in her tracks when she saw April.

"Oh April. That dress! You have to get it. Jack won't be able to keep his pants on when he sees you in that dress."

"Arizona!" April yelled at her.

"Seriously April - I have never seen you wear something so perfect. If you don't buy it, I will buy it for you. I didn't buy your a birthday present last year... or this year for that matter."

The sales lady came back to check on April and she brought a pair of shoes for April to try on to go with the dress. The were black stilettos that had a ribbon that wrapped around the ankle and tied in the front.

"Oh geez," April said, "I will break my neck in those."

"No you won't. Just try them on."

April tried them on and realized they weren't as high as they looked, but they looked really good with the dress and made her legs look amazing.

April looked at her image in the mirror again, with a hopeful Arizona standing behind her mouthing "Buy them, buy them, buy them."

"Ok - fine. I will get the dress." April said.

"She'll take the shoes too. I will buy those" Arizona added.

Once the sales lady walked away Arizona whispered in April's ear "so what is your underwear situation. Do you have anything appropriate for Jack to see you in tonight?"

"Oh My God. Why do I go shopping with you?" April said looking up at the ceiling.

"Because you know I am right. and I would never steer you wrong. So what is the lingerie situation?" Arizona persisted. "Because they have an area in the back for unmentionables. I'm sure Valerie the sales lady can hook you up."

"I will go and look. But you stay here. I can't handle this part on my own."

April followed the sales lady back the lingerie section and found a match bra and panties set she liked. They were black and sexy, but not too out of character for April.

Once they changed back into their own clothes and checked out, April felt a bit guilty for spending so much money on herself. She followed a pretty strict budget, and while she made good money as a trauma surgeon, she had student loans to pay off, her house, and she put aside money for Harriet each month. She knew Harriet would have the Avery money when she got older, but just the same, she wanted to do what she could for Harriet's future too. She also sent money to parents occasionally to help offset farm expenses as they came up. Her parents did ok as farmers and had managed to save money for their retirement - but April always feared they were one bad crop from disaster. This day was a real splurge for April, but she had to admit she enjoyed herself.

Arizona dropped April off at her house around 3pm. Jack told her to be at his house around 5pm. The party didn't start until 6:30pm, but he invited her over early for a drink. April did some tiding up of her house before leaving. She cleaned up Harriet's toys and threw out some old food in the fridge. She putzed around the house for as long as she could before starting to collect all of the things to get ready. She took her new purchases to her bedroom and started getting ready. Since she didn't have to worry about her hair or her makeup, it took her no time at all to get ready. Once she had everything on, she looked herself over in the mirror. Wow - she had come a long way from that farm girl in Moline. She figured the women tonight would be more blinged out than she was - but the ensemble she had put together with the help of the sales woman and Arizona suited her perfectly. She grabbed her bag and took off for the party.

When she got to Jack's she noticed a valet outside of his house. He hadn't mentioned the valet, but he did say he was going all out for the party. He had made the pro bowl for the fifth time in his career and it was a tradition for him to throw a big bash for the men who made his success possible - his offensive line. In all there were twelve men who either started or played backup throughout the season, plus two tight ends and a full back that often blocked for him too. That added up to a total of 15 guys and 30 people if everyone of them brought a date. Jack had reminded April that she had met several of the guys in Ben's room when he was April's patient and at the cocktail party for the renaming of the ER. He gave her the lowdown on which wives/dates were nice and which ones were catty and crass.

When she pulled her car up to the door, the valet came around and opened the door for her. She exited her car as gracefully as she could given how tight her dress was and how high her heels were. Just as she stood up, she heard the front door open and two screaming kids yelling "Doctor April!" Lauren and Ben ran to the bottom of the steps of the porch as April walked around her car and up to the kids.

"Hi guys! I am so glad to see you! How are your cannonballs coming?" April and Jack had both beaten Lauren and Ben during the cannon ball challenge the night April had come over for dinner. The kids vowed to get revenge the next time they had dinner.

"Good!" Lauren said. "We are waiting for our Mimi and Papa to get here. They are taking us out to dinner and then shopping to get a build a bear."

"That is so fun," April said as she started climbing the stairs to the the house. "I am sure you will have a great time."

"you look pretty," said Ben.

"Thank you Ben, do you know where your daddy is?"

Right on cue, Jack walked up to the door, "His daddy is right here and couldn't agree more. You look amazing, April."

Jack was wearing a suit jacket and pants with a white button down shirt with no tie. He looked amazingly handsome.

"Thank you," April said to Jack as she met him in the doorway. "Is this ok? I wasn't sure what to wear."

"You look perfect. And don't worry. It will be a great night." Jack put an arm around April and pulled her in to give her a kiss on the cheek. "My parents should be here in a few minutes to pick up the kids. They were supposed to be here earlier, but got stuck in traffic on the freeway. I guess there was an accident."

Just then, another car pulled up, starting to round the circular driveway.

"Mimi! Papa!" The kids yelled in unison.

Jack's parents got out of their car and were greeted by their very excited and very wound up grandchildren.

"Hi Guys," Jack's mom said. "We are excited to spend night with you too."

"Mom and Dad, you remember April from the hospital. She is the surgeon that operated on Ben and took such good care of him at Grey Sloane Memorial."

"Its good to see you dear. You look lovely for Jack's big party."

"Thank you. Its good to see you too."

"Well, we should get going and let you two get on with your night." Jack gave his parents a hug and thanked them for taking the kids. He grabbed a duffel bag for each of the kids and loaded them into the trunk of his parents' car. He hugged Ben and Lauren as the loaded into the car and before long, Jack's parents and his kids were headed off.

Once their car pulled out of the driveway, Jack walked back up the stairs to the front of the house, where April had been standing since arriving, smiling at April as he approached her. She swore, she could melt right there in place when he looked at her like that.

"So, Dr. Kepner. Can I get you a drink?" He wrapped an arm around April's back leading her into the house.

"I would love a drink. What do you have?"

"Everything, but the caterer came up with a special drink for the evening. Its called the O-Line in honor of the guys who are coming tonight. Want to try one?"

"Sure," April said shrugging her shoulders. Jack lowered his arm from April's back, instead lacing his fingers between hers and leading her outside.

The outside kitchen on the patio was busy with chef's, waiters and assistants getting the meal ready for the night. Round tables had been set up around the pool with large arrangements of flowers to accommodate the guests. Flowers and candles floated in the pool and twinkle lights were hanging all around the back yard. It looked amazing. April and Jack walked up to the make shift bar and order drinks. The band was warming up, so there were random noises coming from the speakers strategically placed around the patio.

"Everything looks great," April said as she took her drink from the bartender.

"Thanks. Hopefully the guys enjoy it. A lot of quarterbacks buy their O-Line presents and give them money etc. But they all make a lot of money already. I always think its fun for all of us to get dressed up and enjoy a night together with our wives and dates. Let's go inside while they warm up."

April and Jack went back inside to the living room and sat down next to each other. Jack put his drink down on the end table and turned towards April, putting a hand on her thigh that was quickly moving north.

"Did I tell you how amazing you look tonight?" Jack whispered in April's ear.

"You did." April said, nuzzling into Jack's neck. "Thank you for inviting me. It looks like its going to be a lovely night."

Jack leaned in closer to April, capturing her lips with his own. Their kiss was interrupted by the party planner who had a question about what bathroom Jack wanted people to use. Jack told her he didn't care and the party planner went back outside.

"Hey," April said. "Do you have a place I can put my purse? I probably don't need it, except to touch up my lipstick after dinner."

"Yeah, why don't you put it upstairs in my bedroom. We have so many people running in and out of here tonight, that is probably the safest place."

The event planner asked Jack to help her with a question she had out on the patio so Jack instructed April on how to find his bedroom. As she looked at the bridal staircase leading to the second floor, April debated whether or not she should take her shoes off before trying to tackle the stairs or risk it. She decided to risk it, figuring there was no graceful way to take her shoes on and off at the bottom of the stairs.

Once she made it upstairs, she followed Jack's instructions and found his bedroom. It was no surprise it was huge. She walked over to the dresser, thinking that was a good place to touch up her lipstick before heading back downstairs. There was a large mirror on the wall behind the dresser that she used to do just that. She decided the dresser was also a good place to leave her bag. Before leaving the room, she looked around a bit. There was a huge king sized bed that appeared to be extra long, probably to accommodate Jack's height. There was a trophy display area that included lots of trophies from his college and pro teams, along with helmets from each team he played for. There was an attached bathroom that had a huge tub and stand alone shower with marble counter tops and a chandelier. If April had to guess, Jack's bathroom was probably the size of her entire bedroom. Beyond the bathroom was a walk in closet that was just as amazing.

April emerged from Jack's bedroom and sneaked a peak at Ben and Lauren's rooms. They were large and decorated in sports motif and unicorns respectively. April came back down the stairs and noticed Jack was still talking to the party planner outside. She grabbed her drink, taking another sip. It was strong, and probably not what she would order the next time she went to the bar.

The guests started arrived two by two and all were dressed in cocktail attire. Jack introduced April to everyone, holding her hand most of the time as they greeted the guests as they arrived. Jack stayed by April's side most of the evening, making sure was comfortable and having a good time. April found herself enjoying the party and had fun getting to know some of the players and their wives. After a few rounds of drinks, the guys were all enjoying teasing each other, reliving plays they had made through the season. April hung out with the wives and girlfriends, getting dragged into a few conversations that involved getting free medical advice from April. Two women in particular were nice to April and seemed to take her under their wing. Their husbands had played college ball with Jack and had known him since those days. They rescued April from one of the girlfriends asking April if she could hook her up with a great plastic surgeon for a butt lift.

After about an hour of mingling, it was time to sit down for dinner. The two women who had been shepherding April around a bit were seated at their table along with their husbands and another couple. They had a lovely dinner, made small talk about football, kids and family. Once dinner was over, Jack got up, dinging his knife against his water glass to get everyone's attention. He gave a brief speech, thanking all of the guys for taking good care of him throughout the season. He mentioned each guy by name and gave a little antidotal story about each guy's contribution to their Super Bowl run. There were lots of laughs as Jack went around the the dinner area, talking about each guy. Once Jack was done, a couple of guys stood up, sharing a couple stories about Jack that everyone enjoyed. Once the speeches were over, the band took over playing a mix of party songs from over the years. The makeshift dance floor was about half full as, some couples lingered over by the bar area instead of dancing.

April had excused herself to go to the bathroom after dinner concluded. She went inside and found a line of three women waiting to use the downstairs bathroom. She decided it would just be easier to use Jack's bathroom, and while she was there she could fix her lipstick.

April had made it up the stairs and was standing at Jack's dresser putting on her lipstick. When she looked up into the mirror, she saw Jack, leaning against the door frame, watching her.

"Hey," April said turning around. "It looks like your party it a hit. Everyone is having a great time."

"I think so," Jack said as he started walking towards April. "Are you having fun.?"

"I am. Its an interesting group of people. The one guy's girlfriend keeps cornering me, asking me for my recommendations on a butt lift," April giggled.

"Oh, that has got to be Travis' girlfriend. He brings a new girlfriend each year. One crazier than the next," Jack said chuckling. Once Jack reached April, he wrapped his arms around April, pulling her close to him.

"I am so glad you are here." Jack leaned down to lightly kiss April.

April returned the kiss. Jack pulled away after a few moments, saying they should probably get back downstairs. He grabbed April's hand and led her back down the stairs to the patio where the dancing was now in full swing. April didn't let go of Jack's hand and started leading him to the dance floor.

"Nope - I don't dance." Jack said shaking his head.

"Oh come on," April begged. "Please... for me? I love to dance."

Jack rolled his eyes as he let April lead him out to the dance floor. They have a fun time dancing to lots of old songs. After several, fast songs, the band slowed down the music and played a ballad. April, even with her very high heels was still too short to put her arms around Jack's neck for the slow song, so she settled on putting them on his shoulders.

"See, you are a great dancer," April said, teasing Jack.

"Are you kidding, I look like I am having a seizure" Jack chuckled, laughing at his bad dancing ability.

"Well, maybe just that one move you did," April kidding. To that comment, Jack dropped his hand down to April's butt and gave it a pinch, making April squeal.

"Hey," April said, playfully punching Jack in the arm. "What was that for."

"You were making fun of my awesome dance moves." he said playfully defensive.

They laughed at each others comments and danced the rest of the song in silence, just enjoying being close to each other. Once the song ended Jack leaned down and whispered in April's ear, "stay with me tonight."

April pulled away looking at him, "Jack, I am not sure I am ready."

"Nothing has to happen. I just want to wake up next to you tomorrow morning. The kids aren't here, you aren't on call. I just want to be with you tonight."

April took a moment to consider his proposition before answering "yes. I will stay here tonight with you."

Jack gave April a kiss on the cheek before leading her off the dance floor and over to the bar for a drink. The party had been going on full swing for a couple of hours and a few couples had left already to relieve babysitters. It was close to midnight and April was getting tired. Jack caught her yawning as she finished her drink.

"Hey, if you want to head up, you can. The band it about done, and I will start kicking people out after that."

"Are you sure?" April asked. "I am happy to stay."

"No, go ahead. If you need something to sleep in, help yourself to one of my t-shirts.

"Ok, sounds good." April leaned up to give Jack a kiss before she left his side and started heading up the stairs.

April got to Jack's room and retrieved her bag off the dresser, pulling out her phone checking messages. She sat down on Jack's bed as she logged into her phone. She had a couple emails she needed to respond too, and there was an email she had been waiting for. She had submitted an article to a prestigious medical journal about the new patient protocols she had developed and put into practice at Grey Sloane. And editor for the journal had emailed her, saying that they were interested in published April's research and wanted to meet with her next week to ask more questions. April was super excited by this recognition and what this could mean for her career.

She also had a few texts, one from Arizona with hearts and kissing face emojis, wishing her a good night and a picture from Jackson of Harriet, covered head to toe in her yogurt that she dumped over her head when Jackson wasn't looking. She smiled at the picture of her little girl. April was just about done checking her phone, when she heard Jack coming up the stairs. She put her phone back on the dresser and walked over to the door to meet him.

"That didn't take long." April said putting her hands on the lapels of Jack's jacket.

"Well, I had a hot, sexy woman in my bedroom. I couldn't keep her waiting."

"I was just checking messages. I'm not going anywhere, you could have taken your time."

Jack snaked his arms around April's back, pulling her close to him. "I see those ugly guys everyday. Its not a big deal. The catering staff is cleaning up and will lock up when they leave."

"So, we are alone..." April said. "What in the world should we do?"

"I have a few ideas," Jack said as he leaned down and kissed April passionately. After a few moments, Jack pulled away. "I have been waiting all night to do that."

"Well, now you have the rest of the night to do that." April knew she was leading Jack on. She wasn't a hundred percent sure she was ready to have sex with him, but he was so close to her, they had the whole night to themselves and everything he did to her felt so good. She wasn't sure how she was going to be able to resist him.


	15. Chapter 15

Jack and April managed to keep the evening pretty PG, staying up late talking. The next morning, April woke up her pager going off. Hunt was sick and she was needed to come in and run the ER in his absence.

"Shoot." April said out loud after reading the text. Just then Jack started to stir, woken up by the page and April.

"Everything ok?" Jack asked groggily.

"Oh - I am so sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. Its early, go back to sleep. I have to go though... the ER chief is down with a bug and I have to cover."

Jack reached out and pulled April close to him, spooning her. "Hmmm... Stay here and cuddle with me, or go to work and save lives. Tough choice," he joked.

"Not so tough. I would pick you everytime," April said, turning her head towards him to give him a kiss. "But, I sadly don't get to pick. If I don't go in, who knows what that ER will look like."

"Do you have to go now?"

"Yeah, I probably should. I certainly can't wear that dress to the hospital... so I need to stop at home and change." April started pulling herself out from under the covers and stood up, stretching. She walked around Jack's room gathering her belongings before heading to the bathroom to change. Jack yelled out that he was going down stairs to make some coffee for them. April followed a few minutes later amazed that all of the remnants from the party were gone except for the flowers.

"Wow - you wouldn't even know there was a party here last night, she said as the descended the stairs."

"They did a good job," Jack said as he handed April a to go travel mug of freshly brewed coffee.

"Mmmm" April said as she took a sip. "thank you. This is amazing coffee."

"So," Jack said, "Do you remember Big Joe from last night?" Jack took a sip of his coffee and put his mug back on the counter.

"Um, yeah. He was the big bald guy. Well, they were all big guys, but he was bald." April said.

"Yes. He and his fiancé are getting married next month at a Vineyard in Napa Valley. A bunch us are his groomsmen. I was wondering if you would want to go with me. We would leave on a Friday and come back on a Monday.

"That sounds amazing. Text me the dates and I will see what I can do. Jackson and I haven't worked out next month's Harriet schedule, and I can switch work. Owen will owe me for covering for him today."

"Great." Jack said as he walked closer to April and put his arms around her waist. "It should be an amazing weekend."

"It sounds like it," April smiled and nodded in agreement. She got on her tiptoes to give Jack a kiss before grabbing her bag, keys, shoes and to go much and heading to the car. The valet had pulled her car up around to the front of the house before they left the night before.

"I will call you if I have some down time in the ER," April said as she opened her car door.

"Sounds good." Jack held the door open until April was safely inside the car and closed the door behind her. April put the window down.

"Thanks for a great night. I had a lot of fun."

"Thank you for coming. I will talk to you later today." Jack backed up and April put the window up as she put the car in drive and pulled out of his driveway.

The day in the ER was brisk. There were a couple conventions in town and there were a ton of food poisoning cases coming in. As was protocol, April collected all of the information from the patients who had come in so far with symptoms and was on hold with the Seattle Department of Health, reporting the rash of cases. While she was on hold, Jackson walked by.

"Hey" She called out. "What are you doing here? Where is Harriet?"

"Oh, hi. I could ask you the same thing. And Harriet is at my mom's for a bit. I needed to change the dressings on the burn family. God knows I can't trust the residents to do it."

"Hunt, called off sick. And the ER is inundated with food poisoning cases. Some convention. I am on hold with the health department to report it. Its going to be a long night."

"Food poisoning cases are the worst," Jackson sympathized.

"Oh, yes, This is Doctor April Kepner from Grey Sloan" April said into the phone as she smiled at Jackson. He took that as his cue to go.

April explained the number of cases that they had, they were all coming from the convention center and told the woman at the health department their symptoms. The woman told April Seattle Pres had a ton of cases too, and that they were dispatching investigators to both hospitals. She was to sit tight until they got there.

It was close to 6pm and the investigators still hadn't arrived. April decided to take a break and lie down. She didn't get a ton of sleep the night before since she and Jack stayed up so late talking and a 15 minute nap would help her get through the rest of the long night she knew was ahead of her. As she turned the corner to head for an on call room, she saw one of the doors open. She saw Maggie stick her head out of the door clearly to find out if the coast was clear for her to exit. April retreated back around the corner before Maggie could spot her. Satisfied no one was watching, Maggie walked out of the on call room closing the door behind her. April was glad she was able to hide. She wasn't up for talking to Maggie. April headed for the on call room and as she reached for the door, it opened from the other side. April looked up to see Jackson standing there, tucking his scrub shirt into his pants.

"Oh - Hi!" April said a little to loudly. Clearly flustered, trying to digest what she was seeing.

"Hey April... Sorry - I was just..." Jackson stammered.

"Taking a nap?" April said, looking away from him.

"Yes! Taking nap. Harriet had a rough night last night. I think she is getting a tooth."

April shook her head, her eyes were now planted squarely on the floor.

"So - I should get going. I am meeting my mom, Webber and Harriet for dinner. Good luck tonight with the food poisoning cases." Jackson said as he walked away, clearly uncomfortable.

April sighed. She leaned forward to look inside the on call room to see the sheets were disheveled. She backed up and closed the door. Nope. Not only was a nap not in her future, but she had just caught her ex sneaking around in on call rooms with his new girlfriend. Who also happened to be his step sister. April shook her head and headed back to the ER. She grabbed her phone and called Arizona.

"Hi April," Arizona said as she answered the phone. "How was the party."

"Good. Great, actually. Where are you?" April asked.

"Right here," Arizona said.

"Where?" April said, stopping and looking around. She found Arizona walking about 15 feet behind her. April waited for Arizona to catch up with her.

"What are you doing here? I thought you had the day off and were hanging with Jack today?"

"I was supposed to, but Hunt called off sick, we have a ridiculous amount of food poisoning cases in the ER and I just walked in on Jackson and Maggie doing whatever they were doing in the on call room." April said. She could feel she was starting to spin out. Arizona could tell April was having a tough time.

"Hey, I was just about to head to Joe's for a burger. Want to join me?"

"I can't. I have to wait for the stupid health department. They were supposed to be here hours ago, but they have been at Seattle Pres. When they finished there, they are supposed to come here. And I have to sit around and wait for them."

Arizona put her hand on April's shoulder. "Just let Wilson know that you are leaving to get dinner and to page you when the health department gets here. We will be just across the street."

"Let's do it," April said. Arizona was headed straight over to Joe's to get a table. After a quick stop in the ER, April joined her at a spot at the bar. Joe's was busy. It was a Saturday night and it looked like intern mating season inside. All of the tables were taken, and Arizona was able to blackmail a couple of residents for their seats at the bar with the promise on scrubbing in on one of her surgeries next week.

Arizona ordered a glass of wine, but April was sticking to club soda. She didn't imagine coming back to the ER with wine on her breath would go over well with the health department.

They ordered their food and April just sat there not talking.

"Are you ok?" Arizona asked her.

"I am... I am fine," April said in a monotone voice. She knew Arizona wasn't buying her I'm fine routine.

"So," Arizona said drawing a deep breath. "Tell me about the party."

"The party was fine." April said, nursing her club soda.

"Oh come on April. You looked amazing. Jack must have been blown away."

April shook her head. "Yeah, it was good. It was a great night. Jack and I talked for hours last night and had a great time."

"Did you..." Arizona said as she winked at April.

"No. No, we didn't. I don't think I am ready for that yet."

"Why the hell not, April. He is in to you, you are into him. You're not a virgin anymore."

"But I have only been with Jackson. I just need some time. I told Jack as much and he was fine with it."

The food arrived and the ladies started eating.

"So - what's bothering you?" Arizona said, taking a bite out of her burger. "Is it seeing Jackson and Maggie together?"

"I mean, they are related! They are step siblings. That is just gross." April said loudly.

Arizona just starred at April for a minute before responding. "So you are upset that Jackson is moving on?"

"No - I figured he already had - but just not with his step sister. And not where I could see it."

Arizona sighed. "April honey, I know its not easy to see your ex move on. But you have to. You are having a great time with Jack, you have to let go."

"What do you think I have been trying to do?" April said, looking at Arizona. "Ever since we got divorced, I have been working on letting go. I kept telling myself, I need to move on. To live my life. Jackson didn't want me." April choked up a bit on that last part. "But then I found out I was pregnant, and there was hope. Harriet. She is my everything, but I would be lying if I said a small part of me thought that she might be the thing that pulled us back together. That made Jackson get past all of his crap and he would want me back. We lived together for almost a year... and then Montana...

"Montana?" Arizona questioned. "What happened in Montana?"

"Jackson found his dad. It was the whole reason he was going. The surgery could have happened here, but Jackson said the patient was to unstable to transport. Meredith was supposed to go, but Catherine switched me for her. She probably knew Jackson had found his dad and wanted me there to help him."

"Did you...?"

"Yes. We did. And that damn hope came back. After months of convincing myself that there wasn't any, I found myself in bed with Jackson again and it was... it was like coming home. I thought it meant something. That maybe, just maybe he wanted to maybe talk about getting back together. But when we got back, we never talked about it. We went back into our routine of just talking about things related to Harriet. We never talked about it. And I was heartbroken. All over again. So I moved. Because being in the same house with him was just too hard. I worked hard to create a new life for myself. Jackson and I only talked when I was completely necessary regarding Harriet and I moved on. And then Alex tells me Jackson is upset that I am dating Jack and then I see him with his step sister." April had worked herself up to the point of tears.

"April sweetie. I know you have been through so much. But maybe Jack is it, maybe you just need to let yourself be with him. No matter what part of life you are in when you have your first love, its impossibly hard to get over. Allow yourself to move on and see the possibilities with Jack."

April looked at Arizona, "that is a bunch of bullshit Arizona." Arizona was shocked by April's bluntness and sat back in her stool. "Have you moved on? If Callie was the next person to walk through that door, and she walked over to you, took your hand and apologized for taking off with Penny, and taking Sophia across the country... would you tell her to go to hell? No. You wouldn't. You would take her back in a heartbeat. All of the blondes, brunettes and redheads, the tall the short, the hot women you have been with since she left wouldn't matter. None of them, no matter how many of them there are, would change the fact that if Callie did indeed walk through that door - you would be all hers. Just like if Jackson walked through that door, and told me he wanted me back - I would go to him. And I would never let him go."

April leaned back in her chair. Both women were looking straight ahead. April continued, " I love you Arizona. I love you like you were one of my sisters. Hell, more than I love my sisters," she said with a chuckle. "But please stop pretending that you are any better off than I am. Please stop preaching to me that I need to move on, when you are in the exact same boat I am in."

They sat there in silence for a few minutes. Neither looking at the other.

"I am a soldier. I have got to get a grip on myself, and move on. Jack is great, and I owe it to myself to get to know him better." April said, trying to convince herself.

Arizona sighed. "And I am a good man in a storm. I will stand by you every step of the way."

Just then, April's pager went off. It was Wilson. The health department was finally there.

"I am sorry. I have got to go. Are you ok?" April asked.

"I am fine. Like you, I have been living with this for a long time. And you are right. I would take Callie back in a heartbeat," Arizona said trying to put on a brave face even though a tear was threatening to fall from her right eye.

"I will see you later." April said. She took out two twenties and put them on the bar. "Arizona. Thank you. Thank you for being such a good friend."

"You too Aps. I don't know where I would be without you." Arizona stood up and gave April a hug before sitting back down and grabbing her glass of wine.


	16. Chapter 16

The health department took forever investigating the food poisoning info, leaving April with a ton of paperwork. Bailey had come in to relieve her around 11pm, and there were still more cases coming in when April left at 1am. She didn't get much sleep as she felt bad about the way she came down on Arizona at the bar. April knew she had her own demons to deal with, she shouldn't have deflected any of it on Arizona. Since she wasn't getting any sleep, she decided to get up and make donuts, a fruit salad and fresh coffee to take over to Arizona's as a peace offering. April needed to go back to the hospital in the afternoon to relieve Bailey since Hunt was still out. But she figured she would use the morning to try and make amends to Arizona.

April packed up all she had made and headed to Arizona's. It was around 9am in the morning when she got there. April assumed Arizona would be up - but as she walked up to the front door of Arizona's house, she realized that maybe she shouldn't have assumed. What good was a peace offering, if she ended up robbing Arizona of sleeping in. Instead of knocking, when she got to the door, April texted. She figured if Arizona texted back, that meant she was up. If she didn't, April could just leave the food and coffee at her front door. But much to April's relief, Arizona did text her back, saying she would be down to answer the door in a sec.

When Arizona opened the door, April found the words were just pouring out of her mouth...

"Oh my God Arizona, I am so sorry. I should have never talked to you that way last night. I couldn't sleep so I made us breakfast. Well, you breakfast if you don't want me to stay. And I totally understand if you don't want to see me. But I really hope you do let me stay.'

"April, what are you talking about?" Arizona said half talking, half yawning. She motioned for April to come in.

"Last night. At Joe's. I was so mean to you. I clearly can't deal with my own crap, so I just dumped it all on you. I had no right to bring up Callie or any of that."

"April, its fine. We are friends. We challenge each other sometimes. That's what we do. And I am actually glad you did bring it up. Because it made me think last night about myself. And where I am at with my crap. While I talk a good game, I clearly am not where I thought I was."

April grabbed two coffee mugs out of the Arizona's cabinets and two plates, silverware and napkins. Arizona sat down at her kitchen counter as she watched April take care of everything.

"These smell amazing. Are these you mom's famous farm donuts?" Arizona asked as she picked up one of the donuts.

"They are," April smiled as she put a plate, napkin and utensils in front of Arizona. She poured the coffee into the mugs and walked over to the fridge to grab some milk for their coffee. April sat down next to Arizona and then poured some milk into her coffee from the carafe she had brought.

"You know me. When I have something on my mind, I can't sleep. And I have to do something. I did a lot of thinking this morning and I am just so tired of it. Tired of thinking that Jackson will come back to me. I know he won't in my head. But my heart. My heart just can't seem to let go."

"I had time to think too, April. And what you said to me last night, about Callie? You were right in one way. But wrong in another. My heart, would say go with her. But my head wouldn't. With Callie, I was never going to win. So many things in our relationship were her way or no way. And when I rebelled, or just got fed up she had no patience for it. I cheated. Yes. I was the reason we split up the last time. And she would never be able to let me live that down the rest of my life. I was expected to accept that she got pregnant by Mark in the blink of an eye. But when I screwed up, there was nothing. And April, Jackson is that way with you."

April took a sip of her coffee and put her mug back down on the counter. "What do you mean?"

"April, Jackson is a black and white guy. There is no grey for him. In his mind, you shouldn't have gone to Jordan. The first or the second time. He thought you should deal with Samuel's passing his way. And when you were drowning in grief and couldn't see your way out - he couldn't see that you needed to find your own way. April, he will never forgive you for that."

April looked down at her coffee and sighed. "I know this. I am not stupid. I do know this. And still..."

Arizona put her hand over April's, "April, you have never had to get over anyone. You didn't have a first great love as a teenager. You had it as an adult. Its not easy at 16, let alone at 35 after a divorce and two children. You don't know how to do it. My best advice for you my friend is to pretend. Pretend you are over it. Throw out the torch you are carrying for Jackson before it burns you again and again. Jack. Jack is awesome for you."

A smile came to April lips thinking about the time she has spent with Jack. He is a wonderful man. A wonderful father. And can relate to everything April has lost.

"But April - if you can't go all in with him. If this thing you are carrying around for Jackson isn't something that you can let go of, then you need to let Jack know where you stand. He has lost a lot to April, and its not fair to him to lead him down a road that is just a dead end."

"I know. And I think that is where I am stuck. I want to pursue things with Jack. But I don't want to him to get caught up in the middle like Matthew did. You know, there is a part of me that thinks all that I have gone through is because of what I did to Matthew. Leaving him at the alter to follow Jackson. And besides a couple of months of happiness, everything else went up in flames as the result of that. Except for Harriet."

"April, God doesn't work that way. I firmly believe we all end up where we are supposed to be and with who we are supposed to be with. We just might take some detours along the way," Arizona concluded, winking at April.

"So," April said as she sat straight up in her chair. I need to put on my big girl panties and close the door on Jackson for good. No hope. Its gone. I am moving on. I am a solider and I am moving on."

"Good girl. And me too, by the way. No more one night stands for me. I am going to date again. I am going to meet an amazing woman and we are going to date." A

"So it settled. We are moving on." April said holding out her to shake Arizona's.

"We are moving on." Arizona shook April's hand. "So, what does the rest of your day look like?"

"Back to the hospital. The ER has been a mess. Hunt is sick, half of the convention center was served bad potato salad and we have more food poisoning cases than we know what do with. Bailey covered the night shift. I promised I would be back around noon to relieve her."

"When do you get Harriett back?"

"Tomorrow. We were upside down on days from last month. Jackson had some things pop up so I got her more. So I have three days to his 4 for the next two weeks." So, I guess this works out. Hunt is going to take my shifts the next two days to make up for the shifts I covered for him."

"Well, I guess I will see you on Wednesday. Lunch?" Arizona asked.

"Definitely." April said, walking over to Arizona and giving her a big hug.

"Thank you. Thank you for listening too and putting up with my crazy."

"Ahh, sweetie. We are all crazy. Its no big deal. But you can leave the donuts as an apology."

"They are all yours," April said as she started packing up her things, getting ready to head out and to the hospital.

Once April got to her car and started to put her seatbelt on, her phone started ringing. She looked at the caller id. Jack. Shoot, she thought to herself. I forgot to call him last night.

"Hey," She answered cheerfully. "I am so sorry I didn't call you last night. We got hit with a huge wave of food poisoning and the health department was swarming around the ER. It was just a mess."

"No worries. I saw it on the news last night and figured you were working your miracles to save the convention goers from the perils of bad potato salad," Jack said chuckling.

"I honestly may never eat that stuff again." April said now laughing too.

"What are you up to today? The kids and I are hanging by the pool and thought you might want to join us."

"Oh geez. I wish I could, but I have to go back in and relieve the Chief who has been holding down the fort in the ER overnight."

"Another time."

"I would love too. I have Harriett tomorrow through Thursday. Would you want to come over for dinner on Thursday? Or we can go out?"

"Well, we aren't really public yet. So eating in is probably better."

"I will cook." April said.

"Sounds like a plan."

"Ok - well, I have to get going. Again I am sorry about today."

"No worries. Good luck today at the ER."

"Thanks. I will call you when I get home tonight."

"Sounds good. Bye April."

"Bye."

April ended the call and put her key in the ignition. It was going to be a beautiful day in Seattle. Sitting by the pool with Jack definitely sounded better than another day with food poising victims. Oh well. It is, what it is, she thought to herself.

April arrived at the ER and looked worse for wear and was just as crowded as it was the night before. She found Bailey who looked like she had been through war.

"Oh God, Thank you Jesus, you are here. These fools think that we can make the pain go away. That we can save them from praying to the porcelain God. Who eats potato salad anymore? I can tell you who will never touch that stuff again... this woman right here."

April interrupted her rant "How many patients have you admitted?"

"About twenty who were dehydrated or had other medical conditions that were made worse by their unwise decision to eat potato salad. The rest we are just assessing and sending home. Nothing we can do for them. They just have to wait it out. The tv stations have been telling people to just stay home but apparently no one can listen to reason. They are all dying you know."

April just shook her head, trying to take all of Bailey's rant in. "Well, I am here now. I talked to Hunt, he will be here at 5am to take my shift tomorrow. I will stay until everything calms down."

"Great. I am out of here. Oh - do you know Dawn Pearson from Marketing?" Bailey asked.

"No, I don't".

"She is coordinating with the media. They have been going live from outside the hospital with hourly updates. Dawn will be looking for you soon for the latest numbers. Patients treated and released, number of admits etc."

"Ok." April said. Miranda was already on her way to the attending lounge.

"Good luck Kepner. Don't call me. I will not call you either." And with that Bailey was gone.

April check in at the desk, grabbed an iPad and started getting the lowdown from the nurses as to what was going on. She page the intern on call to come check in with her. By the looks of things, supplies in each of the trauma rooms and the rolling carts they were using in the waiting rooms were all low on supplies. She ordered the intern to start restocking everything. When he intern complained that restocking was a nurses job, April pointed out that the nurses will knee deep in vomit and diaherea at the moment. and that she was sure any one of them would like to trade jobs with her. The intern slinked away, pulling out an iPad to take inventory.

The day went on at the last 36 hours had. More and more people pouring into the ER. April seriously wondered if they had enough toilets in the whole hospital to deal with all of them.

At about 6pm, she got paged to the nurses station. When she got there, she found four delivery men from different restaurants around town.

"I'm Doctor Kepner. What can I do for you?"

"Sign here," the first guy said.

"And here" said the next guy.

"What exactly am I signing for?" she asked as she reached for the clipboards the men were holding.

"Dinner delivery. We got an order from Jack Smith. He ordered enough food to feed the staff here tonight. We have 50 pizzas, 150 subs, salads, chips, sodas and cookies for dessert."

"You're kidding" April said in disbelief.

"Nope. I don't kid. I just deliver. Oh - And I am supposed to read this to you: Hope you and the staff are hanging in there. Notice, no potato salad. - Jack. Now where do you want them?"

"Umm, I have no idea. Why don't you deliver them to the conference room. Milton! Where is Milton, the skinny resident with glasses?" April asked the nurse.

"He is coming back now with some test results. Should be here momentarily." the nurse said.

"Great. " April turned to the delivery guys. "Start bringing it in and we will show you where to go."

Like clock work, Milton showed up at the desk as the first load of food was coming in to the ER. April directed Milton to help the guys find the conference room and she started mentally trying to figure out how to deliver all of the food.

As she was standing there, a smile came over her face. She couldn't believe Jack had done this for her. She plucked her cell phone from out of her pocket and hit Jack's number. He answered on the second ring.

"Why are you calling me and not eating?" Jack said chuckling as he answered her call.

"I honestly can't believe all of the food that is literally walking by me right now. I would say you shouldn't have, but everything smells amazing. Thanks you so much."

"No problem. Had to make sure my girl was well fed."

His comment caught April off guard a little, but she recovered quickly. "Yes, I promise you I and the rest of the staff will be well fed, probably for the next week."

"Make sure the custodians get some food too. I can't imagine their jobs have been much fun given all of the repercussions of bad potato salad."

April laughed. "I will. Thank you so much. I have to run, but I will call you tomorrow. Oh - and I looked at my schedule and as long as I can work it out with Jackson, I am in for the trip to the winery for your friend's wedding."

"Fantastic. It will be an amazing weekend."

"I know it will. I can't wait."

"I will let you go. Go Eat!."

"Sounds good. Thanks again, Jack."

"Goodnight April."


End file.
